Biden says 'considering' lifting some trade tariffs on China

U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he is "considering" lifting some trade tariffs on China, noting they were not imposed by his administration.

"We did not impose any of those tariffs," he said, when asked in Tokyo about the possibility of lifting the measures, adding that lifting them was "under consideration."

Earlier this month,

Beijing has urged Washington to drop the additional tariffs on Chinese goods

, saying it would be "in the interests of U.S. firms and consumers."

"[The removal] will benefit the U.S., China and the whole world," said Shu Jueting, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce, during a press conference on May 12.

Shu said trade teams from both sides were maintaining communications.

Her words came after the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on May 4 announced that it would conduct a review of the initial

Section 301

tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports in 2018 under Donald Trump's presidency.

From May 7 until July 5, the USTR will gather industry comments on the first batch of Chinese industrial imports worth $34 billion. The agency will carry out the same procedure on the second batch of $16 billion imports from June 24 to August 22.

(AFP)