China has imposed extra import tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 products from the US, including frozen pork, wine and certain fruits and nuts, as of April 2, in response to US duties on imports of aluminum and steel, as announced by China’s Ministry of Finance on April 1.
In its statement, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said China was suspending its obligations to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to reduce tariff concessions for 120 US goods, including fruits. The tariffs on the 120 products in question will be raised by an extra 15 percent, while eight other products, including pork, will be subject to additional tariffs of 15 percent, effective from April 2.
China’s MOC stated that US President Donald Trump’s signing of the decree to impose duties on imports of aluminum and steel from March 23 has violated the relevant rules of the WTO, seriously damaging China’s interests. The MOC went on to say that on March 26 China requested trade remedy consultations at the WTO to negotiate with the US, while the US refused to respond to this request. Accordingly, on March 29, China submitted a brief list to the WTO relating to suspension of obligations concerning US products, to balance the damage to China’s interests. In order to safeguard its interests, China has to impose additional tariffs on US products, the MOC stated.
However, China stresses that the differences between the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, avoiding further damage to China-US relations, the MOC said.