China Seeks Trade Cooperation With U.S. as It Launches Probes Into American Barriers

Overview

• China opened two investigations into U.S. trade barriers that could lead to new tariffs on American firms and limits on Chinese trade in high-tech and clean-energy goods.
• The cases examine U.S. efforts to block Chinese products and to control exports of advanced technology to China, with a separate probe focused on energy transition equipment.
• In a separate meeting at a World Trade Organization gathering in Cameroon, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that China wants to expand economic and commercial cooperation and avoid harmful competition.
• Wang also objected to a U.S. inquiry under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act that reviews alleged failures to curb forced labor in about 60 economies, a process that can trigger new tariffs or trade limits.
• These moves follow a hard 2025 trade fight and a later truce, with recent high-level talks in Paris and a White House plan for President Trump to visit Beijing in May setting the stage for the next round of diplomacy.