Beijing, April 13, 2025 – China’s Ministry of Commerce has called on the United States to completely cancel its policy of reciprocal tariffs and return to a cooperative framework based on mutual respect and equal dialogue.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the ministry criticized Washington’s continued reliance on trade protectionism, urging a full reversal of the unilateral tariff measures imposed in recent years.
A ministry spokesperson noted that although the U.S. has recently announced a memorandum exempting certain goods—such as smartphones, computers, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and integrated circuits—from reciprocal tariffs, the action remains only a minor correction to a larger issue. China is currently assessing the broader implications of this exemption for its industries and global supply chains.
“This limited exemption reflects a small step toward correcting the damaging practice of reciprocal tariffs, but it falls short of addressing the root problem,” the spokesperson said. “These tariffs have failed to resolve the United States’ trade imbalances and instead have harmed the global economic landscape, disrupted enterprise operations, and raised costs for ordinary consumers.”
The ministry emphasized that China’s stance on China-U.S. trade relations has been consistent and principled. China believes that trade disputes should be settled through dialogue, not confrontation. It reaffirmed that there is no winner in a trade war and warned that ongoing protectionism, especially under the guise of reciprocal actions, will only deepen divisions and instability in the international trade system.
The spokesperson also stressed the need for the U.S. to listen to the growing calls—both globally and domestically—urging it to move away from its combative stance on tariffs. “We urge the United States to seriously consider these rational voices and take a decisive step forward in abandoning unjustified reciprocal tariffs, which continue to harm bilateral relations and global trade.”
China reiterated its commitment to fair and open trade and expressed hope that the U.S. would eventually prioritize cooperation over confrontation, laying the groundwork for meaningful progress in resolving trade differences free from punitive reciprocal tariffs.