Beijing — China’s Commerce Ministry has firmly opposed the United States’ threat to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods starting March 4, vowing to take necessary countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.
“China has repeatedly stressed that unilateral tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and damage the multilateral trading system. China firmly opposes the U.S. move,” a spokesperson for the Commerce Ministry said on Friday.
The U.S. cited the fentanyl issue as a reason for the latest tariff threat. Responding to this, the spokesperson highlighted that China enforces some of the world’s strictest anti-drug policies and actively engages in international cooperation against drug trafficking, including with the United States.
“However, the U.S. has consistently ignored objective facts,” the spokesperson added. “Imposing a 10% tariff on goods imported from China citing fentanyl and other reasons, and now threatening additional tariffs, is unjustified.”
China urged the U.S. to reconsider its approach. “We hope the U.S. will not continue down the wrong path and will quickly return to the correct track of resolving differences through equal dialogue,” the spokesperson said. “If the U.S. persists in its actions, China will take all necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also denounced Washington’s actions. “There is no winner in a trade war or a tariff war,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular news briefing. “The U.S. unilateral tariff hikes severely violate World Trade Organization rules and harm the interests of both countries and the whole world.”
The escalation in trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies has raised concerns globally, with many hoping for a resolution through dialogue and cooperation.
