——– Accuses Washington of protectionism
——– Decides to act with ‘firm and forceful’ resolve over Trump’s tariff hike
——– Slams JD Vance over ‘Chinese peasants’ comment
BEIJING: China has pledged to respond with “firm and forceful” countermeasures following the impo-sition of sweeping new US tariffs, which now total 104% on Chinese goods entering the American mar-ket.
At a routine press briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian condemned the move, calling it a violation of China’s development rights.
“The Chinese people’s legitimate right to development is inalienable,” Lin said. “China’s sovereignty, security and development interests are inviolable.”
“We will continue to take firm and forceful measures to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests.”
The new US tariffs were announced last week by President Donald Trump, and include across-the-board duties targeting China, the European Union, and Japan. China, however, has been hardest hit.
In response, China’s Finance Ministry has announced its own retaliatory tariffs, including a 34% hike on all US goods starting April 10, in addition to previous rounds of duties on agricultural and energy im-ports.
In a white paper released Thursday by the State Council Information Office, Chinese officials warned:
“If the US insists on further escalating its economic and trade restrictions, China will resolutely counter and fight the US to the end.”
The white paper accused the United States of “economic bullying” and unilateralism.
“The US uses tariffs as a weapon to exert extreme pressure and seek selfish interests,” it said.
Beijing added that the tariff war would do little to address America’s trade imbalances, while also trig-gering inflation, market volatility, and potential harm to American industries.
Despite the sharp tone, officials said China remains open to dialogue.
“If the US genuinely wants to resolve the problem through dialogue and negotiation, it should show an attitude of equality, respect and mutual benefit,” said Lin Jian.
China reiterated its claim that it has complied with the terms of the “Phase 1” trade agreement reached during Trump’s first term, while accusing Washington of violating parts of that deal. The agreement had called for China to purchase an additional $200 billion worth of US goods over two years, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed those targets.
Dan Wang, China Director at Eurasia Group, warned that tariffs exceeding 35% would effectively wipe out profit margins for most Chinese exporters.
“After that, Chinese exporters will not sell to the US at all,” she said.
As the economic standoff escalates, both sides appear entrenched — China asserting its readiness to “fight till the end,” and the US showing no signs of rolling back the latest wave of trade restrictions.
Earlier, China issued a sharp diplomatic rebuke to US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday after re-marks he made referring to “Chinese peasants” triggered widespread outrage on Chinese social media and reignited tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Vance, speaking last week, defended President Donald Trump’s new wave of tariffs by criticising glob-al trade dependency.
“What has the globalist economy gotten the United States of America?” he said.
“We borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.”
The comments quickly went viral in China, sparking intense backlash online. A Weibo hashtag related to Vance’s remarks had drawn more than 140 million views by Tuesday afternoon, with users mocking Vance and defending China’s technological and industrial progress.
At a press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian directly condemned the vice president’s remarks.
“It’s both astonishing and lamentable to hear this vice president make such ignorant and disrespectful remarks,” Lin said. –Agencies
