China's finance ministry said in a statement the new waivers
will take effect on May 19 and expire on May 18, 2021. The
latest list waives tariffs on products including ores of rare
earth metals, gold ores, silver ores and concentrates.
The ministry did not disclose the imports value of the products.
Beijing in February said it would grant exemptions for 696 U.S.
goods including key products such as soybeans and pork based on
applications from companies.
Beijing and Washington's top trade negotiators held a call last
week and discussed implementation of the Phase 1 deal signed in
January.
Under the deal, China agreed to increase its purchases of U.S.
goods from a 2017 baseline by $200 billion over two years, with
about $77 billion in increased purchases in the first year and
$123 billion in the second year.
Renewed tensions between the two countries, sparked by the
COVID-19 pandemic that began in China late last year, are also
raising questions about the trade truce.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to terminate the deal
if China fails to meet its purchase commitments.
China's Global Times, published by the official newspaper of the
ruling Communist Party, also reported on Monday that some
government advisers were urging Beijing to invalidate the trade
deal and negotiate one more favourable to China.
The Chinese foreign ministry adopted a measured stance on trade
on Tuesday despite the heightened tensions between the two
countries, saying the existing Phase 1 deal is a good thing for
both China and the United States.
"China and America reaching the Phase 1 trade deal benefits
China, benefits the U.S. and the whole world," Zhao Lijian,
spokesman at the foreign ministry, said at a regular media
briefing in Beijing.
"Both sides should carry out the agreement while sticking to the
principles of equality and mutual respect."
(Reporting by Min Zhang, Tom Daly, Lusha Zhang, Huizhong Wu and
Roxanne Liu; Writing by Se Young Lee and Ryan Woo; Editing by
Simon Cameron-Moore and Jacqueline Wong)
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