Beijing told the Trump administration it will “fight till the end” against new tariffs imposed this week, escalating its threats of retaliation.
Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, answers questions from journalists on March ... [+]
“If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said Tuesday.
Lin said Trump’s claim that China hasn’t done enough to stem the flow of fentanyl from its country to the U.S. “is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.”
Lin made the comments after an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports to the U.S. took effect Tuesday, prompting China to announce it would increase import duties by 10-15% on several key American agricultural food products, plus expand export controls on 15 U.S. firms in retaliation.
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While the Trump administration has cited the influx of fentanyl from China, Mexico and Canada in imposing the new tariffs that took effect this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also pointed to China’s economic reliance on exports in defending the levies Tuesday, insisting they wouldn’t lead to price increases on Chinese imports to the U.S. “On the China tariffs, China’s business model is export, export, export, and that’s unacceptable,” Bessent told Fox News, adding, “I’m highly confident that the Chinese manufacturers will eat the tariffs, prices won’t go up.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated Trump could lower tariffs as soon as Wednesday for Mexico and China after negotiations with the U.S. neighbors. “I think there’ll be some movement. It will not eliminate the tariffs,” Lutnick told reporters.
Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods Feb. 4 and doubled the tax Tuesday, with an exception for shipments under $800, known as the “de minimis” exemption. China announced Tuesday retaliatory tariffs that will impose a 15% tax on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton imports to the U.S. and a 10% tariff on sorghum, soybean, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy. Stock futures dropped to their lowest pre-election levels after Trump’s new round of tariffs, which included a 25% tax on imports from Mexico and Canada to the U.S., though they showed signs of rebounding before the markets opened Wednesday after Lutnick suggested Trump could modify the levies.
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