Also on Tuesday, new US tariffs came into effect on imported timber, kitchen cabinets and upholstered furniture, much of which comes from China.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping are still expected to meet in South Korea in late October as they try to de-escalate trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
“The 100% tariff does not have to happen… The relationship, despite this announcement last week, is good. Lines of communication have reopened, so we’ll see where it goes,” said Bessent.
“China’s position is consistent. If there’s a fight, we’ll fight to the end; if there’s a talk, the door is open,” said a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson on Tuesday.
“The US cannot demand talks while simultaneously imposing new restrictive measures with threats and intimidation. This is not the right way to engage with China,” they said in a statement.
Chinese state media said the US duties on Chinese ships violated a maritime transport agreement between the two countries.
In May, the two sides had agreed to drop triple-digit tariffs on each others’ goods. which had raised the prospect of trade halting between them.
This left US tariffs on Chinese goods facing an added 30% levy compared with the start of the year, while US goods entering China face a 10% tariff.
