MNI POLICY: China To Retaliate On Any New U.S. Tariff: MOFCOM

     BEIJING (MNI) - China will take corresponding countermeasures if the U.S.

hikes tariffs on Chinese imports, Gao Feng, a Ministry of Commerce spokesman

said at a briefing Thursday, emphasizing that any new charges would lead to an

escalation of the trade friction between the two countries.

     Gao downplayed the U.S. action to delay some tariffs, saying that this just

indicated that American consumers and companies will suffer great losses if the

trade war drags on. China is firmly against the U.S. tariff hikes, which go

against the consensus reached by the two Heads of State in Osaka at the recent

G20 meeting.

     Gao also urges the U.S. to keep its promise of not intervening over Hong

Kong issues, as the U.S. President Donald Trump has said earlier that it is

Chinese domestic affairs, and should be addressed by China itself.

     The "non-reliable entity" list is going through certain procedures, and it

will be released in the near term, Gao said, without confirming whether certain

companies like HSBC or FedEx would be included. 

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: wanxia.lin@marketnews.com

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

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