Chinese Government Condemns US of ‘Hypocritical Policies’ Regarding Tariff Threat

The former US president’s latest threat to impose an additional complete levy on Chinese goods has been labeled a “classic case” of United States’ contradictory behavior, per the China’s leadership.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry additionally remarked that China could implement its own unspecified “responsive actions” if the US President carries out his pledge, emphasizing that the country was “not afraid” of a looming commercial battle.

This past Friday, the former president hit back at the Chinese government’s action to strengthen its policies for overseas sales of rare earth minerals, accusing China of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the global community “hostage”.

Additionally, he threatened to pull out of a arranged talks with Chinese leader Xi, which was set for a conference in Seoul before the month ends.

His statements on last Friday shook financial markets, with the S&P 500 share index falling by nearly three percent, marking its largest decline since last spring.

These statements revived concerns of a commercial dispute between the United States and China.

In May, the respective governments had consented to eliminate significant levies on each other’s imports, which had led to concerns of bilateral trade stopping between the two countries.

This left, American import duties on Chinese imports incurring an extra import tax compared with the start of the year, while items from the United States entering China face a import levy.

The most recent comments from China – published by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of official answers to journalist’s questions – mirrored language from the height of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned US export restrictions on chips and semi-conductors while supporting China’s own restrictions on exports on rare earth minerals as “routine measures” to safeguard national security and that of all nations.

The spokesperson remarked that for “an extended period”, the United States had “expanded the interpretation” of domestic safety, misused export control measures and “implemented” discriminatory practices against the Chinese nation.

“Turning to” import duty warnings is not the right way to deal with Beijing,” the official stated.

“Beijing’s stance” on a tariff war has consistently been steady: we do not want one, but we are not afraid of one.”

The previous week, Beijing announced it was strengthening export controls on rare earth minerals and additional substances essential to advanced tech manufacturing.

This was seen as a key move, as the nation handles about ninety percent of the planet’s critical minerals, which are employed in goods such as photovoltaic modules and smartphones.

The recent comments from the US and China are being viewed by analysts as a method of bolstering negotiating stances prior to upcoming negotiations.

Remains uncertain whether a talks between Trump and China’s leader, scheduled at a conference in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks, will take place as planned.