China’s Ministry of Commerce has insisted that tariffs on its goods be removed, after US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he was not ready to lift the Trump-era taxes because Beijing had failed to deliver on the promises it made under the phase-one trade deal that expired at the end of last year.

“The Chinese side has always believed that canceling the additional tariffs is good for China, the United States and the world,” ministry spokeswoman Shu Jueting said when asked to comment on Biden’s statement. “Especially under the current inflationary situation, lifting additional tariffs is in the fundamental interests of consumers and producers in both China and the US, and it is conducive to the recovery of the global economy.”

The world’s two largest economies have yet to resume trade talks despite the recent expiry of their trade deal that was signed two years ago, and some analysts say the deadlock is unlikely to be broken any time soon.

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