US tariff refund a helpful step on path to correcting mistakes: commerce ministry

BEIJING -- The US move to refund certain tariffs is a helpful step on the path to correcting its mistakes, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.

Spokesperson He Yongqian made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a question about US Customs and Border Protection initiating tariff refunds on April 20.

China has consistently opposed all forms of unilateral tariff measures, the spokesperson said.

The unilateral measures of the US side, such as the imposition of reciprocal tariffs and fentanyl tariffs, not only violate international economic and trade rules but also contravene domestic laws of the United States, harm global economic and trade order, and are not in the interests of any party, the spokesperson added.

These tariffs were directly collected by US Customs from US importers and ultimately borne by US consumers, the spokesperson noted. She advised Chinese export enterprises to actively communicate with relevant stakeholders based on their actual circumstances and protect their legitimate rights and interests.