bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Zhao Ziwen

China is “strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed” to Washington’s finalised plans to increase tariffs on a range of key Chinese industries, from electric vehicles and photovoltaic cells to semiconductors.
“The United States should immediately correct its wrong practices and cancel all tariff increases on China,” the Ministry of Commerce said over the weekend in response to the US announcement.
“China will take necessary measures to resolutely defend the interests of Chinese enterprises.”
The ministry said Washington’s decision would not only seriously undermine the “international trade order” and “global industrial chain and supply chain”, but also failed to address the US trade deficit and industrial competitiveness.
“[The actions will] push up the prices of US imports, with the costs ultimately borne by US businesses and consumers,” it added.
The comments followed the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) announcement on Friday confirming tariffs ranging from 25 per cent to 100 per cent on hundreds of products.
The tariffs were proposed by the White House in May and vetted by the USTR as part of a review under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
According to the USTR’s report, duties on Chinese EVs will quadruple to 100 per cent, and a 25 per cent tariff will apply to Chinese EV batteries, with both taking effect in two weeks. Chinese lithium-ion batteries not used for EVs will also have a 25 per cent tariff from 2026.
Semiconductors and solar cells – two other key sectors in China’s move up the industrial chain – will also be subject to 50 per cent tariffs starting next year and this year respectively.
In addition, 100 per cent duties will apply to some medical products, including syringes, needles and medical gloves. Tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes will rise to 25 per cent.
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade also expressed opposition to the final tariff measures targeting China.
“[The move will] seriously affect the confidence in the long-term and stable cooperation between the relevant industries of China and the US, and adversely affect cooperation in the global industrial supply chain,” the council said.
“Recently, a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs organised by the council visited the US … and both sides unanimously called for respecting the market principle and the spirit of the contract, and opposing trade protectionism.”

Under Section 301, the US can impose trade sanctions on countries that violate trade agreements or engage in “unjustifiable” or “unreasonable” acts that burden its commerce.
US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the tariff actions “will target the harmful policies and practices of the People’s Republic of China that continue to impact American workers and businesses”.
“These actions underscore the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to standing up for American workers and businesses in the face of unfair trade practices.”
The USTR’s decision comes in the countdown to the US general election in November, a race contested by former president Donald Trump, who triggered the US-China trade war by becoming the first to impose such tariffs on Chinese imports during his four years in office from 2017.
In 2018, the World Trade Organization officially questioned the USTR’s conclusions in a Section 301 investigation into China’s intellectual property practices.
During the presidential debate last week between Trump and US Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Harris accused Trump of “inviting trade wars” but failing to prevent China from gathering American chips to help it “improve and modernise their military”.
The final tariffs also signalled a step backwards for recent bilateral engagement.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited China late last month in what was widely seen as an attempt to pave the way for another face-to-face meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden.


Don’t threaten Hong Kong’s rule of law if you want close ties, Paul Lam says after Trump win

No room for Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley in Trump 2.0 White House

China searches for safe havens amid US debt woes, dollar weaponisation

China can build bridges as Trump’s America builds walls

US-China relations

China calls on US to axe tariff increases on EVs, solar cells and semiconductors

Chinese photovoltaic cells will be subject to a 50 per cent tariff under a US plan announced on Friday. Photo: AFP

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai says the tariffs will target “harmful policies and practices” by China that “continue to impact American workers and businesses”. Photo: Reuters

European Commission rejects Chinese EV price floor offer as tariff vote looms

Influential EU members have been wavering on their support for an anti-subsidy inquiry into Chinese electric vehicles. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (second from right), shown here with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, has called on the European Union to rethink duties on Chinese EVs. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Spain and Germany urge rethink on EU tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles

Pedro Sanchez and Xi Jinping pictured during their meeting in Beijing on Monday. Photo: AP

Lei Zhang, founder and chairman of Envision Energy, shows Sanchez an e-formula car during the Spanish leader’s visit to the group’s headquarters in Shanghai. Photo: EPA-EFE

Harris-Trump: tough talk on China but little substance in first US presidential debate

Donald Trump pictured during the debate on Tuesday night. Photo: AP 

Kamala Harris accused Trump of “adoring strongmen instead of caring about democracy”. Photo: AFP

EU proposes lower tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles after input from car makers

EU member states will have to vote on the plan in the coming weeks. Source: Bloomberg

News

China

Diplomacy

China Future Tech

Semiconductors

Beijing says Washington’s decision to raise duties on Chinese hi-tech goods will undermine supply chains without helping American industry


Beijing says Washington’s decision to raise duties on Chinese hi-tech goods will undermine supply chains without helping American industry.
