China warns the US about “blackmailing” over trade – Bloomberg

According to reporting by Bloomberg, China is warning the US to not engage in ‘blackmail’ on foreign trade as the US administration weighs ramping-up tariffs against Chinese goods.

Key quotes

“President Donald Trump’s officials are considering more than doubling planned tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports, people familiar with the deliberations said. The U.S. had threatened an additional $200 billion with levies of 10 percent, a level the administration may raise to 25 percent in a Federal Register notice in coming days, one of the people said. At the same time, representatives of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He are having private conversations as they look for ways to reengage in negotiations, according to people who spoke about the deliberations on condition of anonymity.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will fight back should the U.S. further increase tariffs. “If the U.S. takes measures to further escalate the situation, we will surely take countermeasures to uphold our legitimate rights and interests,” spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular press conference on Wednesday.  He said China has always believed that the disputes should be resolved through talks and communications, but the dialogue should be based on “equality and respect as well as established rules and credibility.”

In a sign the trade standoff is reverberating through Chinese politics, the Politburo signaled on Tuesday that policy makers will focus more on supporting economic growth amid risks from a campaign to reduce debt and the dispute with Trump. The communique, which followed a meeting of the country’s most senior leaders led by President Xi Jinping, said the campaign to reduce leverage will continue at a measured pace while improving economic policies to make them more forward-looking, flexible and effective in the second half.

“China and the U.S. have had several rounds of consultations and reached important consensus, but regrettably the U.S. did not fulfill its obligations,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday. “Nor did it make concerted efforts with China.”

The two sides held three rounds of formal talks, beginning with a delegation to Beijing led by Mnuchin in May. After Liu visited Washington later that month, the nations released a joint statement pledging to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China, among other things. But within days, Trump himself backed away from the deal, saying talks would “probably have to use a different structure.” “