China on Thursday warned that it would not “sit back” after US President Donald Trump raised levies on China to 125%.
Beijing said that American tariffs go “against the whole world” and would “seriously damage the rules-based multilateral trading system”. Follow LIVE updates.
“The US cause doesn’t win the support of the people and will end in failure,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference, according to Reuters.
“China will not sit back and let the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people be deprived,” Lin added.
Meanwhile, China’s commerce ministry spokeswoman He Yongqian urged the United States to meet it “halfway” in the mounting trade war, while promising to “fight to the end” if a compromise cannot be reached.
“The door to dialogue is open, but it must be based on mutual respect and conducted in an equal manner,” He Yongqian said, according to AFP.
Trump’s tariff on China
China’s response came a day after Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on higher tariffs on trade partners, but raised duties on China to 125%, further escalating a high-stakes confrontation between the world’s two largest economies.
Also Read | Why did Donald Trump raise US tariffs on China to 125% and hit pause elsewhere?
In a social media post, Trump said he is pausing his so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on many other trading partners because they responded by reaching out for talks rather than retaliating. He blamed China for “lack of respect.”
“Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A. and other Countries is no longer sustainable or acceptable, ” he added.
