TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ China expressed concern today over the US ramping up trade investigations as official data showed its surplus with America narrowed in January after reaching record levels last year.
This week China announced an investigation into imports of a US agricultural product after President Donald Trump’s administration launched a spate of new trade tariffs and probes into Chinese goods.
The Trump administration has shown no signs of letting up, with major decisions looming on Chinese aluminium, steel and intellectual property practices. The tensions are raising the spectre of a tit-for-tat trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
“There has been an upward trend in US investigative organs looking into China’s products and launching trade relief cases,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng during a press conference. “China is worried about this.”
The US imposed new tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels and washing machines this year after hitting aluminium foil and plywood last year. China has so far held off from retaliating by adding new tariffs on US imports, but Beijing has indicated it may not show such restraint for much longer.
