China opposes all forms of unilateral restrictions, including the series of trade restrictions imposed By the United States under the pretext of "forced labor," Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman He Yongqian said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
He made the remarks in response to a media query about the Trump administration's recent proposal to impose additional import tariffs on goods from certain countries.
"Regarding the Section 301 investigation, China's position is consistent. China opposes all forms of unilateral restrictive measures, including the series of trade restrictions imposed on China under the pretext of 'forced labor.' China has repeatedly made its solemn position clear on this matter. We urge the U.S. side to work with China in the same direction and jointly maintain the stability of China-U.S. economic and trade relations," said He.
"As for the tariff cut on relevant products from both sides mentioned by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, based on consensus reached during earlier economic and trade consultations, China and the U.S. agreed to establish a trade council, and discuss arrangements for reciprocal tariff reduction on products of equivalent scale under this council. We hold that such an arrangement will be a step taken by the U.S. side in the right direction for its tariff policy toward China, which is of positive significance to stabilize and expand bilateral trade. The economic and trade teams of both sides will remain in close communication to finalize specific arrangements as soon as possible and promote their implementation," said the spokeswoman.
China opposes all forms of unilateral restriction: spokeswoman
