China said it would take “all necessary countermeasures” after Trump said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods starting next Tuesday.
“If the U.S. persists in its actions, China will take all necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesperson for the Commerce Ministry said today.
The ministry used stronger language than it did when the first 10% tariff took effect on Feb. 4, saying at the time that it would take “corresponding countermeasures.” Beijing responded by announcing its own targeted 10% tariff on some U.S. products, including coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil and agricultural machinery.
China has repeatedly said “there are no winners in a trade war” and that the U.S. tariffs are in violation of World Trade Organization rules.
Trump said the new China tariff would go into effect along with 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, citing the international flow of fentanyl and other drugs.
China says it has worked with the U.S. to combat its deadly fentanyl crisis but that the U.S. also needs to address its domestic demand, and accused the U.S. of using fentanyl as an “excuse” to impose tariffs.
“This behavior is merely ‘shifting the blame,’ which does not help solve its own problems,” the Commerce Ministry spokesperson said, “and will only increase the burden on U.S. businesses and consumers, while destabilizing global supply chains.”
