China yesterday warned after another round of talks on a sprawling trade dispute with Washington that any deals they produce “will not take effect” if US President Donald Trump’s threatened tariff hike on Chinese goods goes ahead.
The warning came after delegations led by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and China’s top economic official, Vice Premier Liu He (劉鶴), wrapped up a meeting on Beijing’s pledge to narrow its trade surplus.
Ross said at the start of the event that they had discussed specific US exports China might purchase, but the talks ended with no joint statement and neither side released details.
Photo: AP
The White House threw the meeting’s status into doubt on Tuesday by renewing a threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on US$50 billion of Chinese high-tech goods in response to complaints Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.
The event went ahead despite that, but Beijing said it reserved the right to retaliate.
“If the United States introduces trade sanctions, including a tariff increase, all the economic and trade achievements negotiated by the two parties will not take effect,” said the Chinese statement, carried by Xinhua news agency.
The negotiating process should be “based on the premise” of not fighting a “trade war,” the statement said.
The US embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump is pressing Beijing to narrow its politically volatile trade surplus with the US, which reached a record US$375.2 billion last year.
Tensions eased after China promised on May 19 to “significantly increase” purchases of farm goods, energy and other products and services following the last round of talks in Washington.
US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said the dispute was “on hold” and the tariff hike would be postponed.
That truce appeared to end with Tuesday’s surprise announcement.
Private sector analysts say that while Beijing is willing to compromise on its trade surplus, it will resist changes that might threaten plans to transform China into a global technology competitor.
Ross was accompanied by agriculture, Treasury and trade officials for the meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Liu’s delegation included People’s Bank of China Governor Yi Gang (易綱) and the minister of commerce.
Ross and Liu held a working dinner on Saturday.
“Our meetings so far have been friendly and frank, and covered some useful topics about specific export items,” said Ross at the opening of yesterday’s meeting.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source