Beijing 'deeply regrets' US tariff hike, China says

The Ministry of Commerce expressed "deep regrets" on Friday at the United States' decision to hike tariffs and said China will have to take necessary countermeasures.

The comments came shortly after the US raised tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent.

The ministry said in a statement that the 11th round of China-US high-level economic and trade consultations are underway, and China hopes the two sides can work together to resolve existing issues through cooperation and consultation.

China "deeply regrets" that the United States has increased additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent, the Chinese delegation said in a statement in Washington early Friday.

China will have to take necessary countermeasures, said the delegation, which is currently in Washington for the 11th round of China-US high-level economic and trade consultations.

Healthy and stable China-US relationships are in line with the interests of both countries and the international community, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang at a news conference on Friday.

China hopes that the US side can work with China to jointly build a China-US relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability. The two nations need to meet each other halfway in this regard, the spokesman added.

Xinhua contributed to this story.