China has welcomed the announcement by the United States of a series of exemptions from import levies on consumer electronics, which it said was a “small step” in correcting President Donald Trump’s “wrong practice” of imposing 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods.
“China is now evaluating the impact,” a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday, after Washington said smartphones, computers and other electronics would be excluded.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday told ABC’s This Week that smartphones, computers and some other electronics would come under separate tariffs, along with semiconductors that may be imposed in a month or so.
Beijing called on Washington to “completely cancel” its reciprocal tariffs. “We urge the US to … take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and return to the right path of mutual respect,” the Commerce Ministry statement said.
The Trump administration late on Friday granted exclusions from steep tariffs on electronics, imported largely from China, providing a big break to tech firms like Apple that rely on imported products.
The move came as retaliatory Chinese import tariffs of 125 percent on US goods took effect on Saturday, with Beijing standing defiant against its primary trade competitor.
Washington and Beijing’s escalating tariff battle has raised fears of an enduring trade war between the world’s two largest economies and sent global markets into a tailspin.
The fallout has sent shockwaves through the US economy, with investors dumping government bonds and the dollar tumbling.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told CBS Sunday that there are no plans yet for Trump to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump insisted on Friday on his Truth Social platform that “we are doing really well on our tariff policy”, even after Beijing announced its latest hike.
While Trump has referred to tariffs as a way to bring manufacturing back to the US, analysts say it will likely take years to ramp up domestic production.
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