At the same time, tax changes for imported components and raw materials will aim to boost imports and curb the surplus, the ministry said. Current import tariffs on some products will also be temporarily lowered. For instance, coal and fuel oil will be taxed at a low rate between zero and 3%, while duties on many types of electronic and mechanical components will be cut to between 2% and 6%.

In the face of criticism from trade partners, Beijing has been allowing the yuan to appreciate at a modest pace. But officials are fearful of a broader impact on exports that could raise unemployment and have resisted calls for sharper gains. Instead of a broad-based shift that would boost prices of all exports, the government has taken a series of targeted measures to trim exports and increase imports of specific types of products.

Because of a government drive to increase energy efficiency and curb pollution, most of the changes to date have focused on goods such as steel and other refined metals that require large quantities of raw materials or power to produce. Yet while those tariff-level changes could certainly shift trade in the affected goods, most economists believe that because the measures are narrowly focused, their total effect on the trade balance is likely to be small.

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