BEIJING, July 14. /TASS/. The increase in import tariffs on Chinese goods in the United States led to a reversal from growth to decline in bilateral trade between April and June, according to Deputy Director of the General Administration of Customs of China Wang Lingjun.

"Under the influence of what are called reciprocal tariffs from the United States, China-US trade shifted from year-on-year growth in the first quarter to a contraction in the second quarter. The decline amounted to 20.8%," he said.

The official clarified that following progress in the trade negotiations between China and the United States held in Geneva and London, the trade volume between the two countries "recovered slightly."

According to him, the competent agencies of both nations continue to maintain working-level engagement. He emphasized that reaching trade agreements between China and the US had not been easy, and that policies of coercion and blackmail were ultimately futile.

After taking office as President of the United States in early 2025, Donald Trump began applying pressure on Beijing, gradually raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. In response, China increased duties on US goods to 125%. In May, following consultations, both sides announced the removal of the additional tariffs.

According to the latest data from Chinese customs, China-US trade in the first half of the year fell by 10.4% year-on-year to $289.36 bln. Chinese exports to the US declined by 10.9% to $215.55 bln, while imports dropped by 8.7% to $73.81 bln.