China said it opposed Donald Trump’s latest threat to impose a punitive extra 10 per cent duty on imports from the Asian country, vowing to take “all necessary countermeasures” to protect its interests.
The US president announced the additional 10 per cent duty on Chinese imports of deadly drugs, including fentanyl, stating that these are still coming into the US from China, Mexico, and Canada.
Accusing the US administration of “shifting the blame” on the fentanyl trade, China’s commerce ministry on Friday said: “China has repeatedly stated that unilateral tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and undermine the multilateral trading system.”
"China has one of the strictest and most thoroughly enforced anti-drug policies in the world," the ministry said in a statement, and highlighted the risks new tariffs would bring to global supply chains.
"This time, (the US) once again is threatening additional tariffs. Such behaviour is purely 'shifting blame and shirking responsibility,' which is not conducive to solving its own problems,” the statement said.
The reaction from Beijing comes a day after Mr Trump took to his social media platform TruthSocial and said: "Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels.”
"A large percentage" of the drugs were made in China, he went on.
On Thursday, Mr Trump said his proposed 25 per cent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods will take effect on Tuesday, along with the extra 10 per cent duty on Chinese imports. These fresh tariffs on China are over and above the existing 10 per cent levied on 4 February as Washington and Beijing face escalating tensions over trade wars.
China’s commerce ministry has warned of retaliation if the US did not return to the negotiation table. “If the US insists on proceeding with this course of action, China will take all necessary countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests”.
Beijing now has less than a week to publish its countermeasures against the US as the announcement from Mr Trump coincides with the start of China's annual parliamentary meetings on Wednesday, a set-piece political event where Beijing is expected to unveil its main economic priorities for 2025.
The issue is causing tensions between China and the US as the ingredients in fentanyl are largely produced by companies in China and used by pharmaceutical companies to make legal painkillers. But a portion of those chemicals is purchased by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels in Mexico.
Comments
Leave a Comment