Beijing Hits Back at New U.S. Tariffs with Trade War Warning
Beijing on Friday condemned a new round of U.S. tariffs imposed on China and 59 other nations over alleged forced labor concerns, issuing a clear warning to Washington against inciting a trade war.
The newly announced U.S. import levies range from 10 to 12.5 percent, with China facing the steepest rate among the targeted countries.
"We oppose all forms of unilateral tariff measures," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated during a news briefing on Friday.
“Tariff wars and trade wars are not in the interests of any party,” he warned.
The newly introduced duties replace an expiring global tariff implemented by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
The Trump administration acted swiftly to rebuild the president’s tariff framework after a February Supreme Court ruling struck down a broad range of his duties—curtailing his ability to impose steep levies at discretion.
Unveiling the measures, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that Washington was "rigorously" enforcing its import ban on forced labor, adding that it was "well past time for our trading partners to do the same".
Although Beijing expressed a commitment to working with Washington on tariff reductions following Trump’s visit to China earlier this year, the latest U.S. levies risk reigniting trade tensions between the two economic powers.
