Cars for export are seen at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China April 2, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS/File Photoand hopes that talks in the coming weeks can stave off an escalating trade conflict, a government spokesperson said on Friday.
"It would be very desirable to come to an amicable solution, but it is also clear that serious movement is needed on the Chinese side," the spokesperson said during a regular news conference. Bloomberg News on Friday reported Germany wants to prevent the car tariffs from coming into force or at least soften them, but German officials did not confirm this.
The threatened Chinese countermove on EU pork opens a new front in bilateral strains in one of the world's key trading relationships but may be seen as less punitive on Berlin.