Commerce ministry critical of tariff threat by Washington

A White House statement on Tuesday about tariffs on China's exports clearly runs against the consensus reached recently by the two countries in Washington, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said.

The White House statement renewed the US threat to place 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, and it said it will target the tariffs on cutting-edge technologies, the Associated Press reported.

The "tactical statement" issued by the White House is surprising but not beyond expectation, the unnamed Chinese spokesperson said in a written statement issued late Tuesday.

No matter what kind of measure is adopted by the US, China has the confidence, ability and experience to safeguard the interests of the Chinese people and the country's core interests, the spokesperson said.

China urges the US to meet it halfway, in line with the recent bilateral joint statement, the spokesperson added.