China exempts 16 categories of US products from tariffs

China announced Wednesday it would exempt 16 categories of products from 25% extra tariffs put in place last year, ahead of a fresh round of trade talks next month.

China and the US have been embroiled in a year-long trade war that has seen the two sides slap punitive tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in two-way trade.

The exemptions announced Wednesday will become effective on September 17 and be valid for one year, according to the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, which released two lists that include seafood products and anti-cancer drugs.

Wednesday's lists do not include big-ticket items such as soybeans and pork.

Today’s exemptions apply to the first round of tariffs China imposed on U.S. goods starting last July in retaliation for higher U.S. levies. The Chinese government began accepting applications for tariff exemptions in May, but it is the first time they have stated which products will be excluded. The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office has announced six rounds of exclusions for the punitive tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese goods since December.

Further rounds of Chinese exemptions will be announced in due course, the ministry of finance said.

Trade negotiators have said they will meet in Washington in early October, raising hopes that fresh negotiations could help ease tensions between the world's two biggest economies.

Both sides imposed fresh tit-for-tat tariffs on September 1.