US trade representative signals new tariff measures coming soon

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer hinted on Tuesday that the U.S. government will soon take new tariff measures, though he was unable to provide a specific timeline for the move.

Greer said that the U.S. government plans to impose tariffs of 10 to 12.5 percent on 60 countries and regions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing alleged "forced labor" as the pretext.

China's export of high-tech products went up 39 percent in the first half of this year, said Sun Meijun, head of General Administration of Customs, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Sun said that China's total goods trade and the import and export of goods all registered double-digit growth in the first half of this year, with the export products precisely meeting the demand of international markets.

Boosted by expanded domestic demand, China's import posted faster growth in the first half of this year, with a growth rate 8.7 percentage points higher than that of export.

"The export of high-tech products increased by 39 percent. The export of electric vehicles climbed 68.7 percent and the export of integrated circuit jumped 88.7 percent. Cutting-edge technologies, including high-end intelligent products and green and low-carbon products, have become new hallmarks and valuable name cards for 'Made-in-China' exports," said Sun.

In the first six months, China also saw an increase of 115,000 enterprises that had records of importing and exporting goods, said Sun.

The country witnessed thriving growth of new business forms and models in the foreign trade sector, Sun said.

The overseas warehouse for export goods of China's cross-border e-commerce sector surged 3.3 times, and 140 million consumers shopped via cross-border e-commerce, said Sun.