Ministry: China vows response if US adds tariffs

China firmly opposes any of the United States' new tariffs targeting Chinese imports, and vows to take countermeasures if Washington gets its own way, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.

Gao Feng, the ministry's spokesman, said although the US postponed levies on certain Chinese goods, any new tariffs will lead to an escalation of bilateral economic and trade frictions.

It is a serious violation of the consensus reached between the two sides in Japan in late June, and China firmly opposes it, he said.

The US government had planned to slap an additional 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods starting Sept 1. Later, it said the tariffs on some Chinese products, including laptops and cellphones, will be delayed until Dec 15.

Gao said additional tariffs can pose a challenge to the Chinese economy, but the impact will be "completely controllable".

He revealed that negotiating teams of the two countries have maintained communication.

The two sides agreed in the latest Shanghai meeting to advance the next round of talks in September in the US.

Gao declined to release more details about future consultations.