US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has arrived in Beijing. Xu Xinchen has the latest.

XU XINCHEN BEIJING "U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is now here in Beijing for a two-day visit. Ross's goal is to convince China to import more American products including agricultural products and energy in order to bring down the U.S. trade deficit with China."

This comes after last month's talks in Washington with China's Vice Premier Liu He, which seemed to avert a trade war. But this week, the White House sent conflicting signals by announcing plans to roll out tariffs – possibly before the end of this month – on $50 billion dollars' worth of Chinese products as well as restrictions over Chinese tech investment in the U.S. In addition, the U.S. also imposed higher tariffs on other major trading partners, including the EU, Canada and Mexico on Thursday.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community to stand firmly against protectionism and maintain the normal international trade order.

HUA CHUNYING SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "All countries, especially major economies, should resolutely oppose trade and investment protectionism, maintain a fair, and open multilateral trading system and promote the sustained recovery and growth of the world economy based on the WTO framework."

China announced plans to cut import tariffs by nearly half on some 1,500 consumer products, starting July 1st. China's new tariff reduction plan aligns with the country's pledge to buy more from its trade partners, including the U.S. despite mixed signals sent from the White House, talks between China and the U.S. have been ongoing. On Wednesday, a delegation of 50 U.S. officials arrived in Beijing ahead of Secretary Ross' visit. Ross is expected to meet with Vice Premier Liu He over this weekend.