|
The
reinstated product exclusions will be effective retroactively
from Oct. 12, 2021, and extend through Dec. 31, 2022, USTR said.
They cover a wide range of the initially estimated $370 billion
worth of Chinese imports that former president Donald Trump hit
with punitive tariffs of 7.5% to 25%.
The list released by USTR includes industrial components such as
pumps and electric motors, certain car parts and chemicals,
backpacks, bicycles, vacuum cleaners and other consumer goods.
A spokeswoman at China's commerce ministry said on Thursday the
U.S. decision was beneficial to normalizing the trade flow of
those products, and hoped bilateral trade relations would get
back on a normal track.
"Amid inflation spikes and challenges to the global economic
recovery, we hope the U.S. could scrap all tariffs on Chinese
products as soon as possible for the fundamental interests of
consumers and producers in China and the U.S.," spokeswoman Shu
Jueting told reporters.
The Trump administration initially granted more than 2,200
exclusions to the tariffs to provide relief to certain
industries and retailers. Most were allowed to expire, but 549
were extended for a year, and these expired at the end of 2020.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai last October launched a
review of whether to reinstate those 549 exclusions as part of
her strategy to confront China on its trade practices.
A series of virtual meetings with her Chinese counterparts since
then yielded little improvement in China's performance under
Trump's "Phase 1" trade agreement with Beijing.
(Reporting by David Lawder and Andrea Shalal; Additional
reporting by Xu Jing and Ellen Zhang; Editing by David Gregorio)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
