China slams US ‘flip-flops’ on trade sanctions
CHINA yesterday lambasted “sudden flip-flops” in US policy after President Donald Trump said he was moving to finalize trade sanctions against it — even as a US delegation arrived in Beijing for talks.
Ten days ago, the White House announced a truce in trade tensions with China, with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin saying that threatened tariffs on Chinese goods were “on hold.”
But on Tuesday night, it said that sanctions announced in March were still in the works and details would be announced in the coming month.
The announcement is another apparent change of course for Trump. It comes as Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross prepares for a June 2-4 visit to Beijing for another round of talks aimed at resolving the conflict.
Several US officials arrived in Beijing yesterday for talks.
They included Under Secretary of Agriculture Ted McKinney, the US Trade Representative’s chief agricultural negotiator Gregg Doud, and Commerce Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Alan Turley, according to a US embassy spokeswoman.
“Over the next few days, the US delegation of more than 50 people will discuss with China’s team on implementing a consensus,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged the US to “follow the spirit” of the recent consensus reached between Washington and Beijing, to abandon trade wars and back off imposing tariffs on each other.
“In international relations, every sudden flip-flop and contradiction of one’s word depletes and squanders a country’s credibility,” she said.
“If the US persists in
its willfulness, the Chinese side will take resolute and effective measures to safeguard its own legitimate interests,” said Hua, reiterating that the Chinese side did not want to fight, but it was not afraid to fight a trade war.
She said China has consistently advocated handling and settling economic and trade differences in a constructive manner through talks, which is in the fundamental long-term interests of the two countries and the two peoples, and the common aspiration of the international community.
Late on Tuesday, China’s commerce ministry said: “Whatever measures the US takes, China has the confidence, capability and experience to defend the interests of Chinese people and the core interests of the country.”
The ministry said the US statement is contrary to the consensuses the two sides have previously reached in Washington.
China urged the United States to act in accordance with the spirit of recent bilateral joint statement, the ministry said.
The US trade sanctions proposed in March include restrictions on Chinese investment, export controls and 25 percent tariffs on as much as US$50 billion in Chinese tech goods. The final list of Chinese imports covered by the tariffs list will be announced on June 15 and imposed shortly thereafter, while the proposed investment restrictions and enhanced export controls will be announced by June 30, according to the White House.
Alfred Schipke, senior resident representative in China of the International Monetary Fund, said: “It is important that both sides try to collaborate. These trade tensions are not beneficial for anybody.”