‘Bludgeon Won’t Work With China’: Beijing Warns US of ‘Irrational’ Tariff Policy
(Sputnik) – “The US side is used to using a bludgeon but this won’t work with China, such irrational behavior will not solve the problem,” the ministry’s spokesman Gao Feng told reporters.
In a tit-for-tat approach, the official said China would be forced to retaliate against US taxes with “harsh response measures” after Beijing announced 25-percent duties on $50 billion worth of US imports after a similar move by Washington.
Moreover, China’s Commerce Ministry spokesman has told Reuters that Beijing would take action to defend its interests and that “US unilateralism will ultimately damage the ineterests of its own workers and farmers.”
The US president earlier threatened to impose 10-percent tariffs on an extra $200 billion in Chinese imports if Beijing continues what he sees as unfair trade policies. China has said this amounts to blackmail.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Beijing had called on the US to use common sense in the wake of the latter’s plans to introduce new tariffs on imports from the Asian country.
The spokesman reiterated that while China did not want a trade war, it was not afraid of one. Beijing will continue taking effective measures to defend its national interests and preserve multilateral trade, Geng pointed out.
Image Source: PughPugh, Flickr, Creative Commons
In addition, Geng told reporters on Tuesday that Washington was ignoring the agreements it had reached with China, accusing the former of acting inconsistently and trying to initiate a trade war. Such actions have resulted in the United States losing the global community’s trust and harmed the interests of mankind, Geng noted.
The row between the United States and China erupted in March, after Trump, who has repeatedly pledged to fix the US trade deficit with China, announced that his administration would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
Originally published by Sputnik
