China asks US to ‘correct its mistakes’ and cancel Donald Trump's tariffs

China’s commerce ministry has asked the United States to completely cancel its “reciprocal tariffs,” a move that comes right after US President Donald Trump decided to exempt smartphones, laptops, and other electronics from new tariffs. The ministry made this appeal on Sunday, saying the US should stop these “wrong practices” and move towards mutual respect and cooperation.

A spokesperson from the Chinese commerce ministry, quoted by AFP, said, “We urge the US to take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of 'reciprocal tariffs' and return to the right path of mutual respect.”

This statement followed the Trump administration’s Saturday announcement, which said certain electronics such as smartphones and computers would not face the high import taxes that were earlier planned.

However, China is still cautious about the move. The ministry mentioned that while the decision to exclude a few electronics was noted, most Chinese products are still under heavy tariffs—up to 145 percent. Beijing said they are evaluating the exemption decision closely.

In a symbolic message, the commerce ministry said, “The bell on a tiger's neck can only be untied by the person who tied it.” This was aimed at the US, suggesting that only Washington can fix the problems it created by starting the tariff war.

Tensions Rise as Tariffs Increase
The situation escalated on Friday when China increased tariffs on American goods from 84 percent to 125 percent. This was a direct response to the US raising duties on Chinese products to 145 percent.

In its Friday statement, the Chinese commerce ministry accused the US of “unilateralism and economic bullying” and called on other countries to unite against it. China also expressed confidence in winning the ongoing trade war.

The ministry added, “If the US continues to play the tariff numbers game, China will ignore it. If the US insists on continuing to substantially infringe on China’s interests, China will resolutely counterattack and fight to the end.”

These developments show that the US-China trade tensions are far from over, despite small reliefs like the electronics exemption.