China expresses ‘serious concern’ over latest US trade restrictions

China’s top trade official told his counterparts from the United States on Thursday Beijing had “serious concern” over Washington’s latest trade restrictions, according to state media. From left: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. Photos: Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, via Flickr; World Economic Forum, via Flickr. China and the United States spent much of last year embroiled in an escalating trade war but reached a truce when US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met last October. Tensions have risen again, however, over fresh US tariffs imposed on a majority of its trading partners last week. Beijing condemned the duties imposed on China and 59 other countries over alleged forced labour concerns, and warned Washington against waging a trade war. China accused the United States on Wednesday of seeking to “suppress” Chinese companies, after Washington banned imports of humanoid and quadruped robots manufactured abroad in a move separate from the new tariffs. In the video call between Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent along with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday, “the Chinese side expressed serious concern over recent US economic and trade restrictions against China,” state news agency Xinhua reported. The call was “candid, in-depth and constructive”, according to Xinhua, as negotiators discussed “maintaining stable economic and trade ties… and properly addressing mutual concerns in the next phase”. In a statement on social media, Bessent confirmed the call and said Washington stressed that it expected China “to fully meet its commitments on rare earths and US agricultural products”. “We also discussed implementation of the Trade and Investment Boards as a mechanism to secure concrete progress toward a more balanced, fair, and constructive US-China economic relationship,” Bessent said. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai in Beijing on May 15, 2026,. Photo: The White House, via Flickr. During his trip to Beijing in May, Trump invited Xi to visit the United States in September, but that visit is yet to be confirmed. Bessent said the conversation with He was part of the preparation for the expected September meeting. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Agence France-Press (AFP) is "a leading global news agency providing fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the events shaping our world and of the issues affecting our daily lives." HKFP relies on AFP, and its international bureaus, to cover topics we cannot. Read their Ethics Code here More by AFP