Response to US tariffs ‘rational, restrained’
CHINA’S new countermeasures to impose additional tariffs on about US$60 billion worth of products from the United States are “rational and restrained,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said.
The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council on Friday unveiled lists of 5,207 items of US products to be subject to additional tariffs of four different rates — 25 percent, 20 percent, 10 percent and 5 percent.
The decision was made in response to a US plan to raise tariffs to be imposed on US$200 billion of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent.
“China’s countermeasures with differentiated tariff rates are rational and restrained, and were proposed after extensively soliciting opinions and careful evaluation,” the spokesman said in a statement.
The measures have taken into full consideration factors including the people’s well-being, the bearing capacity of companies, and maintaining the functioning of the global industrial chain, according to the spokesman.
“China always believes that consultation based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit is the effective way of resolving trade differences, and any unilateral threat or blackmail will only aggravate contradictions and hurt the interests of all sides,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman pointed out that, because the United States had repeatedly escalated the situation in disregard of the interests of enterprises and consumers of both countries, China was forced to take the countermeasures to protect national dignity and its people’s interests, defend free trade and multilateral mechanisms, and safeguard the common interests of all countries in the world.
Commenting on the latest US move to add some Chinese companies into its list of entities subject to US export controls, the commerce ministry said China stands firmly against US unilateral sanctions on Chinese entities.
China urges the US to relax its controls over exports to China, and protect and promote the high-tech trade between companies from both countries, the ministry said.