Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi accused the Trump administration of trying to suppress his country and vowed to retaliate against the “arbitrary tariffs” targeting China, marking the highest level diplomatic push back from Beijing against the latest round levies as geopolitical tensions continue to rise against the two largest economies in the world.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and external ... [+]
In a press conference on Friday, Wang told reporters: “No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain a good relationship with China at the same time.”
The top diplomat pushed back on President Donald Trump’s complaints about China not doing enough to tackle the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., saying his country has taken “resolute measures against drug trafficking and manufacturing” and the abuse of the opioid “is a problem that must be confronted and resolved by the United States itself.”
Wang said his country has been assisting the U.S. on this matter on “humanitarian grounds” and said Washington should “not return good with evil, or even impose arbitrary tariffs on Chinese products.”
On the bilateral ties between the two countries, Wang said “mutual respect” was an important “prerequisite” and no country should “fantasize” about suppressing China while maintaining good relations and added: “Such two-faced acts are not good for the stability of bilateral relations.”
The foreign minister then warned that his country will “definitely take countermeasures in response to arbitrary pressure,” stemming from tariffs.
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Wang questioned the rationale behind Trump’s tariffs and suggested it had done little to address the president’s trade concerns. “What has it achieved from tariff and trade wars these years? Has its trade deficit widened or narrowed? Has its manufacturing become more competitive or less competitive? Has U.S. inflation gone up or down? Has the life of its people got better or worse?”