China exempts 16 types of US goods from additional tariffs

China on Wednesday moved to exempt 16 types of United States products from additional retaliatory tariffs, including whey and fish meal which are fed to animals, and some lubricants, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance.

The exemption will take effect on September 17 and will be valid for a year through to September 16, 2020.

Further rounds of Chinese exemptions will be announced in due course, the ministry said.

The ministry said items on the two tariff exemption lists posted on its website will not be subject to additional duties imposed by China on US goods “as countermeasures to US Section 301 measures”, it said.

The latest exemptions include 25 percent tariffs on pharmaceuticals and pesticides, but levies on other major agricultural items such as soybeans and pork have not been lifted.

The Chinese government began accepting applications for tariff exemptions in May, but it is the first time they have stated which products will be excluded. The US Trade Representative’s Office has announced six rounds of exclusions from the punitive tariffs on $34bn of Chinese goods since December.

Trade negotiations between China and the US are expected to take place in the coming weeks, with ministerial-level meetings scheduled for October.