Threats and pressure are not the right way to deal with China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday, after describing US President Donald Trump's "retaliatory" tariffs as bullying.
The tariffs are "a typical example of unilateralism and trade protectionism, as well as economic bullying", spokesman Lin Jian told a regular press conference. He stressed that US tariffs in the name of reciprocity only benefit the country itself at the expense of other countries' interests.
Last week, Trump introduced an additional 34% tariff on goods from China as part of the high import duties imposed on most US trading partners, bringing the total tariff on China this year to 54%. China responded with several countermeasures.
When asked whether China would start negotiations with the United States, Lin left the matter to other relevant parties.
US customs agents have started collecting Trump's unilateral 10% tariff on all imports from various countries since Saturday.
“The arbitrary use of tariffs by the United States is tantamount to usurping the rights of other countries, especially those in the Global South, to develop,” Lin said, referring to the widening wealth gap within each country and the greater impact borne by less developed countries.
All countries, he said, should adhere to the principles of consultation, co-construction and partnership, as well as “true multilateralism.”
China will raise the issue of the US retaliatory tariffs as a “new trade concern” at a meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on April 9, according to a WTO document, a move seen by trade experts as an effort to forge a broader coalition to oppose it. China has also filed a formal complaint with the Geneva-based watchdog.
Lin also called on all countries to unite against all forms of unilateralism and trade protectionism, and to uphold the international system and the multilateral trading system in line with the principles of the United Nations and the WTO.
