Mutual retaliations to benefit no nation: Seko

April 3, 2018

Tokyo- No country will benefit from an exchange of retaliatory trade measures, Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said Tuesday, after China slapped new tariffs on US imports in response to Washington's recently introduced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

"The real issue is to deal with steel and aluminum overproduction around the world," Seko told a press conference.

On Monday, China imposed new tariffs of up to 25 percent on 128 items imported from the United States, including pork, in retaliation for the US tariffs.

Stressing that Japan will lay emphasis on free trade, Seko said, "I'd like to tell the countries involved that it would be appropriate for them to seek solutions based on the rules of the World Trade Organization."

In a separate press conference, Foreign Minister Taro Kono voiced concern that the exchange of measures between Washington and Beijing may have an extremely serious impact on the global economy.

"We must protect the free trade system centered on the WTO," Kono said, adding that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will convey Japan's thinking to US President Donald Trump when he visits the United States from April 17.

Economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that global trade issues and the importance of free trade are matters of concern for both Japan and the United States. He said he hopes Abe and Trump will have constructive discussions on such topics. Jiji Press