CCTV News: On the afternoon of February 13, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. A reporter asked about the US imposing a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports.
Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yongqian said that China noticed that on the evening of February 10, Eastern Time, the US government announced the adjustment of import tariffs on steel and aluminum, resumed the imposition of 232 steel and aluminum tariffs on global trading partners, and further increased the import tariffs on aluminum products. The US approach is a typical unilateralist and protectionist behavior. Many countries have clearly expressed opposition, and there are also a lot of opposition voices in the United States.
In fact, the WTO expert group ruled as early as 2022 that the US 232 tariff measures violate WTO rules. However, the US not only retained the original 232 steel and aluminum tariffs, but also further increased tariffs on aluminum products, seriously damaging the rights and interests of various countries, seriously undermining the rules-based multilateral trading system, and having an impact on the global supply chain.
China urges the US to abandon zero-sum thinking, correct its wrong practices, return to the correct track of the multilateral trading system, and work with all countries to resolve their respective concerns through equal consultations.
