The Chinese Government has expressed strong opposition to the United States’ (US) tariff policy under the Trump Administration, raising concerns about its impact on the rules-based multilateral trading system.
China cautioned that the policy infringed upon the legitimate rights of all countries and threatened the global economic order.
“By taking such action, the US defies the fundamental laws of economics and market principles, disregards the balanced outcomes achieved through multilateral trade negotiations, and weaponises tariffs to exert maximum pressure for selfish interests,” a statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The statement, shared with journalists in Beijing, described the US tariff policy as “a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism, and economic bullying.”
“Under the guise of reciprocity and fairness, the US is playing a zero-sum game to pursue in essence ‘America First’ and ‘American exceptionalism.
“It attempts to exploit tariffs to subvert the existing international economic and trade order and put US interests above the common good of the international community,” the statement noted.
Tariffs have been central to the Trump Administration’s “America First” trade policy since it took office in January.
This policy has faced global condemnation due to its impact on international trade.
Recently, the US imposed a baseline 10 percent tariff on imports from all foreign countries, deepening the global trade conflict as nations like China retaliate with their own tariffs.
The European Union (EU), in response to the Trump Administration’s decision to impose levies on aluminum and steel, has dropped a planned 50 percent retaliatory tariff on American whiskey.
The EU is now proposing 25 percent tariffs on a range of US goods. Some EU member states are pushing to exclude whiskey to protect European wine and champagne producers from facing 200 percent tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.
The White House maintains that the US tariff policy is not a negotiation tactic, but rather a strategy to strengthen US manufacturing and domestic industry.
In response, China reaffirmed its commitment to global openness.
“As the second largest economy and second largest market for consumer goods, China is committed to opening ever wider to the world, no matter how the international situation changes,” the statement said.
China emphasized that it would continue to pursue high-standard opening-up policies, expand institutional opening-up in rules, regulations, management, and standards, while promoting trade and investment liberalization.
The statement assured that China would foster a first-class market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment and “we will share our development opportunities with the world to achieve mutual benefits.”
The Chinese Government said that economic globalization remained the path to human progress and that the World Trade Organisation’s multilateral trading system had been vital in promoting global trade, economic growth, and sustainable development.
“Openness and cooperation are a historical trend. The world will not, and should not, return to mutual isolation or fragmentation.
“The whole world aspires for win-win cooperation. Economic bullying that shifts risks onto others will ultimately backfire.
Making economic globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all is a shared responsibility of the international community”, the statement noted.
