China hoping US will meet it halfway on trade

Published On: May 10, 2019 03:08 PM NPT By: Associated Press

In this Feb. 24, 2017, photo, factory workers use gas torches on air conditioning condenser units on an assembly line at a Haier factory in Jiaozhou near Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province. U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff hike on Chinese goods took effect Friday, May 10, 2019, and Beijing said it would retaliate, escalating a battle over China's technology ambitions and other trade tensions. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

BEIJING, May 10: A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman says Beijing is hoping the Trump administration will meet China “halfway” in their dispute over trade.

The spokesman, Geng Shuang, spoke just hours after the U.S. raised tariffs Friday on $200 billion in imports from China to 25% from 10%. China said it would take unspecified countermeasures.

At a routine briefing in Beijing, Geng said that sound and stable relations were in the best interest of both countries and the international community.

He said, “We hope the U.S. and Chinese side can work together to jointly build a bilateral relationship of coordination, cooperation and stability. In this regard we hope that the U.S. will meet us halfway.”