China-US Trade War: Beijing strongly opposed to latest US tariff measures

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Europe

02:27

Shifting now to the China-US trade war and the Chinese Commerce Ministry is now responding to the latest round of American tariffs on Chinese goods worth nearly 300-billion dollars. Our reporter, Wang Hui has the details.

The sudden change in trade talk rhetoric has China taking action.

After 11th round of discussions between the US and China in Washington on May 9th and 10th, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said both sides were willing to move the talks forward.

However, Washington announced plans to impose 25% additional tariffs on Chinese goods with a value of 300 billion US dollars.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry responded at its news press conference on Thursday.

GAO FENG SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY "In the 11th round of talks, the two sides had candid and constructive communication. It's a shame that the US has reignited the trade friction unilaterally, which is a setback for the negotiations."

Gao adds that China will take actions when necessary.

GAO FENG SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY "China is strongly against America's actions of bullying and imposing extreme pressure. Adding tariffs will not do any good for resolving the trade dispute. But if the US insists, China will have to respond. China is never afraid of any pressure."

Gao also reiterated the three core principles that Beijing will not make concessions on during the talks.

GAO FENG SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE COMMERCE MINISTRY "All the added tariffs during the trade dispute need to be canceled. Bilateral trade figures should match the facts. We need to keep the balance of the wording in the agreement. Both nations need to be respected, and the wording needs to be acceptable."

According to several reports, American officials may visit China to negotiate soon, but Gao says Beijing is not aware of any such plan.

WANG HUI BEIJING "Gao says that the impact of the US-China trade spat on China's economy is controllable. Beijing will closely watch the nation's economic trends, and take necessary measures to stabilize the economy. Gao also says that Beijing will protect the legitimate rights of foreign companies in China, and maintain a stable, fair, transparent and predictable business environment for them."