Xinhua News Agency and Global Times reported that China's Commerce Ministry said on April 8 that the country strongly opposes the US threat to increase tariffs on Chinese goods, and warned that it will take strong retaliatory measures to protect legitimate interests if Washington continues to "go the wrong way".
If the US continues to do its way, China will fight to the end, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce stressed.
A strong warning from Beijing came after the US announced plans to impose additional tariffs of up to 50% on Chinese imports, bringing the total tariffs Beijing faces to 104%, culled from the 20% tariffs applied since March and the 34% announced last week.
Writing on his Truth Social account, US President Donald Trump said the additional 50% tax would be triggered if China did not withdraw the 34% countervailing tax it had just announced on US goods.
China's Ministry of Commerce affirmed that the US imposition of so-called "counterpart tariffs" on China is unfounded and a typical unilateral bullying act. The countermeasures that China has taken are aimed at protecting sovereignty, security and development interests, maintaining normal and completely legitimate international trade order - the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce noted.
"The US threat to increase tariffs on China is a mistake overlapping with a mistake... China will never accept this. If the US persists in its own way, China will fight to the end," the spokesperson said.
China reaffirms that neither side has won the trade war and there is no way out for protectionism. Pressure and threats are not the right way to deal with China.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce said that China called on the US to immediately correct its wrongdoings, cancel all unilateral tariffs on China, stop China's economic and trade oppression and properly resolve disagreements with China through equal dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.
