BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- China hopes Mexico will exercise caution and think twice before making any tariff adjustment, the country's commerce ministry said late Thursday.
A spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce made the remarks when responding to media reports that Mexico is planning to increase import tariff rates on about 1,400 items from countries that have not signed free trade agreements with it, including China.
China will closely monitor Mexico's tariff moves and carefully evaluate any final measures, said the spokesperson, noting that China and Mexico are each other's important economic and trade partners and China does not want to see such cooperation affected.
Given widespread global opposition to the unilateral tariff impositions by the United States, all countries should strengthen communication and coordination to jointly defend free trade and multilateralism, the spokesperson said, stressing that third-party interests must not be sacrificed under pressure from external coercion.
In this context, any unilateral tariff measures taken by Mexico, even if within the framework of World Trade Organization rules, will be regarded as appeasement and compromise towards unilateral bullying, the spokesperson said.
Once implemented, such measures will not only harm the interests of relevant trading partners, including China, but also severely undermine the certainty of Mexico's business environment and reduce enterprises' confidence in investing in Mexico, according to the spokesperson.
China has consistently advocated for resolving economic and trade disputes through equal dialogue and consultation, the spokesperson noted. "We oppose all forms of unilateralism, protectionism and discriminatory measures, as well as any actions that harm China's interests."
China will take necessary measures based on actual circumstances to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the spokesperson added.
