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China warns trade deals with US will be void if Trump imposes tariffs

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China warns trade deals with US will be void if Trump imposes tariffs

China warned the U.S. that any trade deals between the two countries will be invalid if the U.S. implements tariffs and other trade measures, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"All economic and trade outcomes of the talks will not take effect if the U.S. side imposes any trade sanctions including raising tariffs," China said as reported by Xinhua on June 3.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross met Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the top economic adviser of Chinese President Xi Jinping, for economic and trade talks in Beijing from June 2-3. The statement did not indicate any deals reached but referred to a consensus agreed in April when China agreed to significantly increase its purchases of U.S. goods and services.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said on May 20 that the U.S. had agreed to put tariffs on China on hold while the two countries work out a deal. But the White House on May 29 said it is set to impose 25% tariffs on $50 billion of goods imported from China containing industrially significant technology, with a final list of covered items to be released June 15.

"The backtracking statement ... shows Washington's capriciousness and unpredictability. Such fickleness suggests that the trade disputes may be protracted," the state-run Global Times said in a June 3 editorial.

"Given the U.S. may change its mind and make new requests from time to time, it is difficult for both sides to nail down a consistent trade pact and stabilize their trade relationship," the editorial added. "If the US reneges on its promise and restarts the trade war, all the agreements will come to nothing."