China decries US tariffs, calls them ‘unilateral bullying practice’, says it will fight till the end

BEIJING: China has decried the US tariffs imposed on the country to be “groundless” and called them a unilateral bullying practice, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday (local time).

In a statement issued by a spokesperson of China’s Commerce Ministry on the US tariffs on China, the spokesperson said that “China has noted that on April 7, Eastern Time, the US threatened to further impose 50 per cent tariffs on China, which China firmly opposes. If the US tariff escalation measures are implemented, China will resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests”.

The spokesperson further added, “The US’s imposition of so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on China is groundless and a typical unilateral bullying practice. The countermeasures that China has taken are to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests and maintain the normal international trade order, which is completely legitimate. The US threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake, which once again exposes the blackmail nature of the US. China will never accept it. If the US insists on its own way, China will fight to the end.”

The spokesperson in their remarks reiterated China’s stance, saying, “There are no winners in a trade war and there is no way out for protectionism”, underscoring that “pressure and threats” are not the right way to deal with China.

China says it will not bow to Trump’s tariff threats, threatening countermeasures and saying it will “fight to the end.” pic.twitter.com/ghgVOnS39c

— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 8, 2025

The spokesperson listed a set of actions by the US against China and called on the US to “correct its wrong practices, cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, stop suppressing China’s economy and trade, and properly resolve differences with China through equal dialogue on the basis of mutual respect.”

The remarks come amid the background of US President Donald Trump on April 7, warning of new and significantly higher tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing does not withdraw a recent 34 per cent retaliatory tariff hike, threatening to end all ongoing talks with China.

The comments came via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, amid rising global market turmoil triggered by a tit-for-tat tariff escalation between the world’s two largest economies. Trump said China’s decision to raise tariffs was a direct violation of earlier warnings and would be met with immediate countermeasures if not reversed by Monday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34 per cent, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long term Currency Manipulation, despite my warning that any country that Retaliates against the US by issuing additional Tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term Tariff abuse of our Nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher Tariffs, over and above those initially set. Therefore, if China does not withdraw its 34 per cent increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50 per cent, effective April 9th. Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated! Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

On April 2, Trump announced a widespread imposition of tariffs on countries worldwide. In February, soon after taking charge for the second time, Trump outlined a new trade policy focused on fairness and reciprocity and said that the US would implement reciprocal tariffs, charging other countries the same tariffs they impose on American goods.

As per the announcements, the import tariffs on other major countries are China (34 per cent), the European Union (20 per cent), Vietnam (46 per cent), Taiwan (32 per cent), Japan (24 per cent), India (26 per cent), the United Kingdom (10 per cent), Bangladesh (37 per cent), Pakistan (29 per cent), Sri Lanka (44 per cent), and Israel (17 per cent). From April 9 onwards, countries with the largest trade deficits with the US will face higher, individualised tariffs.

Asian stock markets witnessed a major sell-off on Monday after US President Donald Trump announced a new round of tariffs. The markets opened with heavy selling pressure, reflecting growing fears over the impact of the tariffs on global trade and economic growth. (ANI)