President Trump said Wednesday he will delay his push to impose higher tariffs on a segment of Chinese goods, calling it a gesture of “good will” as the communist Beijing government celebrates its 70th anniversary.

Levies on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods will rise from 25% to 30% on Oct. 15, instead of the Oct. 1 start date Mr. Trump threatened amid a flareup last month in the China-U.S. trade war.

“At the request of the Vice Premier of China, Liu He, and due to the fact that the People’s Republic of China will be celebrating their 70th Anniversary on October 1st, we have agreed, as a gesture of good will, to move the increased Tariffs on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods (25% to 30%), from October 1st to October 15th,” Mr. Trump tweeted.

The 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China will feature celebrations across the Asian nation, including a military parade in Beijing.

Earlier Wednesday, China said it would waive tariffs on over a dozen American goods ranging from seafood to pharmaceutical drugs ahead of further trade talks in Washington.

“I think it was a gesture, okay?” Mr. Trump said. “But it was a big move. People were shocked. I wasn’t shocked. But I deal with them, and I know them and I like them. And I hope we can do something.”

Mr. Trump’s says it’s important for him to take on China, even if his trade war has rattled Wall Street and retailers.

During the Group of 7 summit last month, he expressed regret over how he’d handle the trade war with China, only for the White House to walk it back, saying Mr. Trump only “regrets not raising the tariffs higher.”

Nearly three weeks later, he’s offering a brief respite from higher levies in response to China’s own gesture of good will.

Xinhua, a state-run media outlet in China, said Beijing’s decision reflected “the Chinese’s consistent calmness and rationality in dealing with economic and trade frictions, as well as for enterprises and the public. Highly responsible.”

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