US-China Continue Trade Consultation Amid Tensions

Shenzhen Port, China/ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/T Y

JAKARTA - China and the United States continue to resume trade consultations amid rising economic tensions between the two countries.

"Both parties remain in communication within the framework of the Chinese-US trade consulting mechanism and held working-level talks yesterday," the Chinese Ministry of Trade said as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, October 14.

Four rounds of previous consultations, the ministry continued, showed that the two countries were still able to find solutions to various problems based on the principle of mutual respect and equality.

However, China's Ministry of Commerce warned Washington could not on the one hand call for dialogue, but on the other hand threatened, pressured, or imposed new restrictions on Beijing.

"This is a wrong approach in interacting with China," the statement said.

The statement comes after US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to charge up to 100 percent of Chinese products on or before November 1, citing what he called Beijing's "aggressive attitude" in trading.

In response, China's Ministry of Trade announced that starting November 8, Beijing will implement export control over a number of strategic commodities, including elements of medium and heavy rare soil, lithium batteries, artificial graphite anodes, as well as mining equipment and processing of rare earth metals and high-power materials.

The move is seen as China's effort to suppress US protectionist policies and maintain its interests in the global supply chain, amid increasing technological and economic rivalry between the two countries.