On September 11, 2019, China’s Ministry of Finance announced exemptions for sixteen (16) U.S. product lines from its retaliatory tariffs against the United States. These exemptions may be viewed as a gesture of good will from China and an attempt to de-escalate the tariff and trade war between the two countries that has been waging for over a year now. Deputy-level trade negotiators from Washington and Beijing have agreed to meet in the coming days in an attempt to re-spark trade talks between the nations. Chinese state media has also confirmed that Liu He, the top Chinese economic official, will travel to Washington in October for ministerial-level talks.
The products excluded by the Chinese Ministry of Finance include shrimp, various oils such as mineral oils and lubricating oils, anti-cancer drugs, whey protein, and fish meal. The notice specified that the exclusions would run from Sept. 17, 2019 until Sept. 16, 2020. China’s second tranche of their exclusion process remains open until October 8, 2019 and a third tranche for Chinese tariffs on $75 billion will be launched in the future. At the end of the notice, the Finance Ministry said they will consider additional products for exemptions and will have further announcements “in due course.”