China denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs in response to what the White House says is Beijing’s failure to stem the flow of contraband drugs like fentanyl into the United States.
Mr. Trump said he slapped a 10% trade tariff on Chinese goods because officials in Beijing won’t stem the flow of precursor chemicals to drug cartels or shut down money laundering operations by transnational criminal organizations.
However, unlike Canada, China stopped short of imposing specific retaliatory measures against the U.S. On Sunday, China’s Commerce Ministry said it would file a complaint with the World Trade Organization and take “corresponding countermeasures” to safeguard its interests.
“China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the U.S.’s additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
Chinese business leaders also oppose Mr. Trump’s plan to implement additional tariffs against them. The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade said the move violates WTO rules and warned that any additional costs ultimately will be borne by U.S. businesses and consumers.
The move will disrupt economic and trade cooperation between Washington and Beijing and threaten the stability of global industrial and supply chains, the council said.
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“There is no winner in trade and tariff wars,” a spokesman for the business group said, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
On Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry said the unilateral tariffs violate international trade agreements but won’t solve domestic problems within the U.S.
“China is one of the world’s toughest countries both in terms of policy and its implementation,” a ministry spokesman said in a statement. “Fentanyl is an issue for the U.S. [and] in the spirit of humanity and goodwill, China has given support to the U.S.’s response to this issue.”
Beijing said it has conducted counternarcotics cooperation with Washington in a “broad-based way,” including formally scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a specific narcotics class — at the request of the U.S.
“The achievements we have made are there for all to see,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The U.S. needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue in an objective and rational way instead of threatening other countries with arbitrary tariff hikes.”
The White House called tariffs a “a powerful, proven source of leverage for protecting the national interest.” It said trade accounts for 37% of China’s gross domestic product, compared to 24% for the U.S.
“Access to the American market is a privilege. The United States has one of the most open economies in the world, and the lowest average trade tariff rates in the world,” the White House said. “President Trump is using the tools at hand and taking decisive action that puts Americans’ safety and our national security first.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.