This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On May 19, 2020, China announced the exemption of tariffs for 79 items from the United States for a period of one year, as part of its efforts to support Chinese companies in purchasing and importing goods from the U.S.
The exempted goods include U.S. aircraft radar and radar equipment, medical disinfectants, rare-earth ore, silver and gold ore and concentrate, as well as some nickel and aluminum alloy products.
However, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council did not disclose the import value of the products.
China's move is seen as a follow-up to the implementation of the China-U.S. phase one deal, which was signed in January 2020. The deal aimed to address trade imbalances and intellectual property theft between the two countries.
As part of the deal, China had previously exempted 16 categories of American products from tariffs in September 2019, including seafood products, cancer drugs, and medical linear accelerators.
These exemptions are part of China's efforts to reduce its trade deficit with the U.S. and to promote economic cooperation between the two countries.
