China’s Ministry of Commerce assessed the exemption of reciprocal tariffs on certain electronic products from the United States as 'a weak measure' and urged for the complete abolition of reciprocal tariffs.
On the 13th (local time), according to CNBC, China’s Ministry of Commerce stated that 'the United States must listen to rational voices both domestically and internationally and completely eliminate its erroneous reciprocal tariff measures,' adding that 'it should return to the correct path of resolving differences through equal dialogue based on mutual respect.'
However, Jamieson Greer, the representative of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), noted on CBS the same day that 'there are currently no plans for President Trump and President Xi Jinping to have a direct call.'
Earlier, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on the 11th that it would delay the application of reciprocal tariffs on certain electronic products. The items subject to the delay include smartphones, computers, semiconductors, solar cells, and flash drives, many of which are mass-produced in China.
In response, the state-owned Chinese media outlet Beijing Daily reported that 'public opinion views this measure as a retreat by the United States.' On the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the hashtag 'Trump administration retreats again' even ranked as the second most searched keyword.