China’s State Council stated on Sunday that the country would keep suspending extra tariffs on U.S. vehicles and auto parts after April 1, in a goodwill gesture after a U.S. decision to delay tariff hikes on Chinese imports.
In December, China stated it would suspend extra 25 percent tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts for three months, after a truce in a trade war between the two countries.
The State Council, or cabinet, stated Sunday’s move was intended at “continuing to create a good atmosphere for the ongoing trade negotiations between both sides”.
“It is a positive reaction to the U.S. decision to delay tariff hikes and a concrete action adopted (by the Chinese side) to promote bilateral trade negotiations,” the State Council stated.
“We hope the U.S. can collaborate with China, accelerate negotiations and make concrete efforts towards the goal of terminating trade tensions.”
The government also stated it would declare separately when the suspension would come to an end.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Friday that trade talks with China were going very well, but warned that he would not accept anything less than a “great deal” after top U.S. and Chinese trade officials wrapped up two days of negotiations in Chinese capital Beijing.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer were in Beijing for the first face-to-face meetings between the two sides since Trump delayed a planned March 2 increase in tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
The discussions are set to resume in
