Beijing warns of retaliation measures against countries reaching trade agreements with the United States at the expense of China’s interests.
In its latest response to the sharply rising US tariffs, China’s Commerce Department said in a statement that Beijing “respects the efforts of all parties to resolve trade disputes with the US through equal consultations.” However, China does not accept US-led trade transactions that harm its interests, and is “decisively and confrontationally” in order to protect its rights and interests.
In a statement, China described US tariffs as “unilateral bullying” in international trade, adding that “if it regresses to jungle laws where strong prey of people with weak international trade will become victims.”
Last week, the Trump administration reportedly planned to pressure US trading partners to limit transactions with China in ongoing tariff negotiations. Countries with close trade ties with China could face so-called secondary tariffs.
MNA/