China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng expressed “solemn concerns” over U.S. tariffs and planned “reciprocal” duties in a video call with U.S. top trade chief Jamieson Greer on Wednesday, Chinese state media Xinhua news agency reported.
The two men had a “candid and in-depth” exchange of views on key economic and trade issues, and agreed to maintain communications, Xinhua said.
The call came as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to impose reciprocal tariffs next week, potentially slapping more duties on Chinese goods.
Trump imposed 20% levies on all Chinese imports since taking office in January, accusing Beijing of not doing enough to stem the outflow of chemical precursors used to produce the deadly drug fentanyl.
China retaliated by imposing targeted tariffs of up to 15% on some U.S. goods ranging from oil and liquefied natural gas to agricultural products.
The tit-for-tat measures added new strains to relations between the two major powers that have already sunk to historic lows in recent years due to issues ranging from trade and technology curbs to Taiwan.
(Reporting by Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo)
