China said on Sunday it “firmly opposes” new tariffs imposed on Beijing by US President Donald Trump and vowed to take “relevant countermeasures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests.” On Saturday, Trump announced a 10 percent additional tax on Chinese imports, in a sweeping move against major trading partners.
In a statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized Washington’s “wrong practices,” saying Beijing was “highly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to it.” The ministry said Beijing would file a case with the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing that “the tariffs unilaterally imposed by the United States seriously violate WTO rules.”
“These tariffs are not only unhelpful to solving the US’s own problems, but also undermine normal economic and trade cooperation,” the ministry said. “China hopes that the United States will objectively and rationally view and deal with its own issues, such as fentanyl, instead of threatening other countries with tariffs at every turn.”
“Beijing urges the US to correct its wrong practices, meet China halfway, face its problems, engage in frank dialogue, strengthen cooperation, and manage differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect,” the statement said. “There are no winners in a trade war or a tariff war,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The practice of imposing additional tariffs is not constructive and will inevitably affect and damage future bilateral cooperation in drug control.”
Japan ‘deeply concerned’ at global impact of Trump tariffs: minister
Japan is “deeply concerned” about the possible repercussions on global trade of US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs targeting major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, its finance minister said Sunday. Trump said Canadian and Mexican exports to the United States would face a 25 percent tariff starting Tuesday, while goods from China, which already face various rates of duties, would see an additional 10 percent tariff.
The announcement threatens upheaval across supply chains, from energy to automobiles to food. “We’re deeply concerned about how these tariffs could affect the world’s economy,” Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato told a Sunday show on Fuji TV.
Fuji TV said Kato also stressed the need to “thoroughly assess” the possible effects of Trump’s tariffs policy on the foreign exchange market. “Japan needs to scrutinise these policies and their effects, and take appropriate measures,” Kato was quoted by Fuji TV as saying.
Trump said the measures aimed to punish countries for failing to halt flows of illegal migrants and drugs including fentanyl into the United States. China, Canada and Mexico have all vowed to respond to the tariffs. Beijing’s commerce ministry said it would take “corresponding countermeasures” and file a claim against Washington at the World Trade Organization.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would impose retaliatory tariffs while Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa would also hit back with 25 percent levies of its own on select US goods worth Can$155 billion (US$106.6 billion).
