FM: Trade talks with US will not harm third party

The Office of the United States Trade Representative will start a process by which US stakeholders may request the exclusion of certain Chinese products from additional tariffs starting on Oct 31, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.

The process will be applied to the US tariff list targeting $300 billion worth of products imported from China, the ministry said in a brief statement.

US stakeholders can submit the exclusion requests from Oct 31 to Jan 31, the statement said. They have to provide information such as whether the particular product can be replaced, or is strategically important or related to "Made in China 2025" or other Chinese industrial programs, it said.

If the exclusion request is approved, tariffs imposed since Sept 1 can be returned, it said.

In another development, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Monday in Paris, France, that China's latest economic and trade consultations with the US have made substantial progress that lays an important foundation for reaching a phased agreement.

According to a transcript of the interview on the ministry's website, Wang said the facts have shown that China and the US can by all means find a solution acceptable to both as long as they engage in equal consultations in the spirit of mutual respect.

If not, the talks would be interrupted or suffer a setback, he said. Wang added that such lessons should inform the negotiators' conduct.

He said the US has forced an unwanted trade war on China and China has to take necessary and reasonable countermeasures.

Beijing aims to protect China's legitimate rights and interests while safeguarding the free trade system and the common interests of other countries, including France, he said.

An agreement between China and the US will not only benefit the two countries, but also all other countries in the world, he said.

China will not take advantage of or affect a third party, much less sacrifice a third party, for example, the China-European Union ties, in the trade consultations with the US, he said.

Wang said that China opens its market, with the world's largest potential, to all countries and China's door will only open wider to the US, France and the whole world.

He also said that China hopes the EU will provide a more fair, just and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to enter Europe.

Regardless of whether it's China-US, EU-US or China-EU talks in the future, such talks should be committed to jointly safeguarding the free trade system, following to the trend of globalization and building an open world economy, Wang said.

Contact the writers at jingshuiyu@chinadaily.com.cn