BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's latest tariff reduction on imported goods is a new manifestation of the country honoring its commitment to high-quality opening-up, without hesitation or delay.
China will implement provisional tariffs that are lower than the most-favored-nation rates on 954 imported commodities, including cancer drugs, aquatic products and baby clothing starting from Jan. 1, according to a circular issued by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.
The move, in line with the high-quality development China is pursuing, will help to continue promoting high-level opening-up, sharing China's development dividends with the rest of the world, and meeting people's increasing demand for high-quality consumer goods.
What catches the eye is that the number of the types of goods enjoying the provisional tariff rates for 2022 is more than that recorded over the past two years, a clear message that the country is opening its door wider to the outside world.
Bucking the headwinds brought by COVID-19, in the first half of 2021, China contributed 14.8 percent to global import growth, demonstrating the country's great importance for global trade.
While China is making efforts to facilitate foreign trade, some forces, typically the United States, are exercising a policy of trade-related bullying against China, which China strongly protests and firmly opposes.
The U.S. administration has imposed economic and trade sanctions against Chinese institutions and companies, including putting a number of Chinese institutions and companies on "entity list."
The U.S. side has repeatedly abused export control and investment restrictions, undermined market principles, violated WTO rules and economic regulations, and damaged the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and U.S. companies.
This is simply based on a Cold War mindset, being harmful to both countries, and neither conducive to the stability of global industrial and supply chains nor to world economic recovery.
As the world's largest economy, the United States should work with China, the second largest economy, to jointly facilitate trade and promote win-win cooperation, rather than meddling with normal economic and trade cooperation.
China will continue to deliver its promise of high-level opening-up. The country will grant zero-tariff treatment on 98 percent of taxable items originating in the least-developed countries. The move will help to further facilitate China's imports from related African countries, and advance the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.
Products under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will enjoy tariff reductions starting from Jan. 1. Chinese consumers will have access to increased imports of high-quality goods and services. Foreign producers will share the opportunities of a consumer market of unparalleled size and growth potential.
Through concrete actions, China is now playing a major role in stimulating growth and electrifying development around the world. In the future, the country will remain a magnet to foreign investors and the rest of the world. Enditem
