Beijing is urging Washington to keep its promises in resolving trade disputes. Trade ties took a sudden turn after the Trump administration said it'll proceed to sanction Chinese goods. CGTN's Chuck Tinte has more. 

25 percent of tariffs on Chinese goods worth 50 billion US dollars -- that's the word from the White House. This move comes a little more than a week after Chinese and US officials held talks in Washington. Talks which both sides described as productive. Affected Chinese goods include products related to the Made in China 2025 program, an initiative promoting the country's high-tech industries.

The list of goods subject to the tariff will be complete by June 15.  The Chinese commerce ministry says it was surprised, but that the move was "not unexpected", adding that the country is confident and capable of defending its national interests no matter what measures Washington takes. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has urged the US to settle any dispute through dialogue.

HUA CHUNYING, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "Every time a country breaks its promises, it is detrimental to their credit. We urge the US to keep its promises and work together with China according to the spirit of our joint statement in Washington. China always wanted to settle the trade disputes through constructive dialogue. It is beneficial to people from both countries and is also what the international community expects. Our stance on trade has not changed. China is not seeking a trade war, but we are not afraid of it. We will fight to the end if we are dragged into a trade war. We will take strong measures to protect our legitimate interests."

And as part of a US strategy to prevent intellectual property theft by rivals, the US government says Chinese graduate students will be limited to one-year visas if studying robotics, aviation and high-tech manufacturing. The US State Department says it will implement measures from June 11th.

HUA CHUNYING, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "Both sides from China and US should take positive measures to facilitate more movement of people, instead of doing exactly opposite."

Next month, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross is set to visit China for more talks. But it remains unclear whether that will restore trust and confidence. Chuck Tinte, CGTN.