China appeals for US calm after new tariff threat

BEIJING – China has appealed to Washington to stay level-headed and “correct its attitude” following a U.S. threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology policy.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, on Thursday warned the Trump administration “not to try to blackmail China, because it will never work.”

Geng said at a news conference, “we advise the United States to be level-headed and avoid simply acting on impulse.”

The two governments have raised tariffs on billions of dollars of each other’s goods over complaints Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.

The U.S. Trade Representative announced Wednesday it was considering raising import duties on an additional list of Chinese goods by 25 per cent instead of the previously planned 10 per cent.