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China has hit back at President Donald Trump‘s vow to impose further tariffs with a stark warning that Beijing is ready for a tariff war or ‘any other type of war’.
Trump, 78, aims to dramatically expand tariffs after a 25 per cent tax on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect Tuesday, along with fresh duties on Chinese goods.
The president, in his Tuesday night address to Congress, revealed that further tariffs would follow on April 2, including ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and non-tariff actions aimed balancing out years of trade imbalances.
But China’s foreign affairs ministry defiantly shot back, stating ‘if war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end‘. The Chinese Ambassador in the US doubled down on the threat by sharing the same remark.
The tariffs, which could upend nearly $2.2trillion in annual trade, came after Trump declared America’s top three trading partners had failed to do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US.
Beijing, however, refutes the allegations and in its scathing response to Trump said branded the fentanyl crisis a ‘flimsy excuse’ to increase tariffs on Chinese products.
The foreign affairs ministry accused the Trump Administration of ‘blackmail’ and warned that ‘Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China‘.
The warning comes amid fears of sparking trade wars that could slam economic growth and raise prices for Americans still smarting from years of high inflation.
Trump on Tuesday night reiterated his intention to impose additional reciprocal tariffs next month, a move that would likely roil financial markets even more.
‘Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it’s our turn,’ he said, citing high duties imposed on US goods by India, South Korea, the European Union, China and others.
Beijing, however, warned against the proposal in a statement from its foreign affairs ministry that was posted to X. A spokesperson said: ‘Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating.
‘If the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.’
The spokesperson also denounced China’s alleged involvement in the deadly fentanyl crisis, saying ‘the US not anyone else, is responsible for the fentanyl crisis inside the US’.
‘In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have taken robust steps to assist the US. in dealing with the issue. Instead of recognizing our efforts, the US has sought to smear and shift blame to China, and is seeking to pressure and blackmail China with tariff hikes,’ the statement continued.
‘They’ve been PUNISHING us for helping them. This is not going to solve the US’s problem and will undermine our counternarcotics dialogue and cooperation.’
Xie Feng, the Chinese Ambassador in America, echoed the foreign ministry’s remarks, saying ‘if the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.’
The Embassy also doubled down on the ministry’s warning of war by sharing the same statement: ‘If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.’
Trump in the past has praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggested China could help mediate international crises such as the war in Ukraine.
Beijing and Washington, however, have been locked in a tense economic competition since Trump’s first term, when relations shifted toward a more contentious rivalry.
Trump and Xi discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call in January, just days before Trump’s inauguration – despite the US president having vowed throughout his presidential campaign to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.
