On Sunday, the Chinese government condemned the Trump administration’s imposition of a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, while keeping the door open for talks with the US to prevent the conflict from escalating further.
Beijing announced its intention to challenge President Donald Trump’s tariff at the World Trade Organization and take unspecified “countermeasures” in response to the levy, which takes effect on Tuesday, according to the finance and commerce ministries.
The response was more measured compared to the immediate escalation seen in China’s trade dispute with Trump during his first term, reflecting the more cautious language Beijing has used in recent weeks.
On Saturday, Trump had ordered 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on goods from China, stating that Beijing needed to stop the flow of fentanyl, a deadly opioid, into the United States.
China’s commerce ministry stated that Trump’s move “seriously violates” international trade rules and urged the US to “engage in frank dialogue and strengthen cooperation.”
Filing a lawsuit with the WTO would be largely symbolic, a move Beijing had previously taken against tariffs imposed on Chinese-made electric vehicles by the European Union.
For weeks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had said that Beijing believes there are no winners in a trade war.
China’s sharpest pushback on Sunday came in response to fentanyl, an area where former President Joe Biden’s administration had also been pressing China to crack down on shipments of the precursor chemicals needed to manufacture the drug.
“Fentanyl is America’s problem,” said China’s foreign ministry. “The Chinese side has carried out extensive anti-narcotics cooperation with the United States and achieved remarkable results.”
