China vows to retaliate after U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose 10% tariffs on Chinese imports.
Beijing claims that the United States is “transferring responsibility” for the flow of fentanyl into the country and promises to fight back and protect its interests.
China's Ministry of Commerce said it has some of the world's strictest anti-drug policies and highlights the risks new tariffs would pose to global supply chains.
See also: Trump's steel tariffs will land on China's supply line through other countries
Trump said Thursday that his 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods will take effect on Tuesday, while holding 10% liability for Chinese imports.
In addition to imposing 10% tariffs on February 4, the fresh Chinese tariffs began with China’s annual parliamentary meeting on Wednesday, a scenario political event, and Beijing is expected to announce its major economic priorities for 2025.
The news left less than a week to release countermeasures as the Trump administration showed signs of strengthening its strategic competitors, although as much as 60% of tariffs threatened its strategic competitors when Trump took office.
“China repeatedly stated that unilateral tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and undermine the multilateral trading system,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.
“China is one of the strictest and most thoroughly implemented anti-drug policies in the world.”[The US] Again, additional tariffs are threatened. This behavior is purely “blame and evasion of responsibility”, which is not conducive to solving one's own problems. ”
Signs of wider decoupling
Analysts say Beijing still wants a deal with the Trump administration, but the signs of rising White House that it is preparing for a broader economic decoupling from China are vanishing, analysts say.
“There are many motions already, but it’s still unclear what the Trump administration’s fundamental goal for China is.”
The Commerce Department said it hopes to negotiate with the United States as soon as possible, warning that failure to do so could trigger retaliation.
“If the United States insists on taking this action, China will take all necessary countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he decided to add additional tariffs in China and ahead of Tuesday's deadline for Canada and Mexico on Tuesday, given his administration thinks his administration has seen Inadequate progress in curbing fentanyl flow Enter the country.
“A discussion is ongoing with China, Mexico and Canada,” a White House official quoted Reuters as saying. “We have a good deal with the migration issue, but there are still concerns about another issue of fentanyl death.”
China's Ministry of Public Safety said on Friday that it added seven new precursor chemicals to its domestic control list and added 24 new precursor chemicals to its export control list. It said it has cracked 151 cases of drug manufacturing materials and deducted 1,427.4 tons of drug manufacturing materials over the past year without specifying whether those materials are related to fentanyl.
Politburo is keen on “resolving” trade tensions
Although Trump also commented on his situation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House and officials on Beijing China Island both appear to be preparing for four years of bruising trade tensions.
According to state media, Chinese Communist Party officials met on Friday and vowed to take measures to “prevent” and “resolve” any external shocks to China's economy, a discussion on the government's annual work report will be published in next week's annual parliament.
The Politburo meeting came a week after the White House released its first U.S. investment memorandum that placed China on the list of “foreign opponents” and accused Beijing of seeking to use investment from U.S. companies to steal cutting-edge technology and fund its military development.
Earlier this month, Trump nominated China's Hawk Landon Heid to a key position in the Commerce Department, overseeing export controls for AI chips targeting China and other countries.
- Jim Pollard's additional editor Reuters
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