🔗 Share this article China Accuses America of ‘Double Standards’ Concerning Tariff Threat The former US president’s newest warning to impose an further 100% tariff on items imported from China has been described as a “classic case” of American hypocrisy, per the Beijing administration. A official from China’s Commerce Ministry additionally remarked that the nation could implement its own undisclosed “countermeasures” if the US President executes his pledge, noting that the country was “fearless” of a possible commercial battle. This past Friday, Trump responded at Beijing’s move to reinforce its rules for foreign shipments of critical elements, charging China of “adopting a confrontational stance” and attempting to hold the global community “under its control”. He also threatened to cancel a scheduled talks with Beijing’s head of state Xi Jinping, which was arranged for a meeting in Seoul in the coming weeks. His statements on Friday shook global markets, with the benchmark US stock index closing down 2.7%, marking its steepest fall since last spring. The president’s words revived apprehensions of a trade war between the US and China. This past spring, the two sides had consented to remove triple-digit tariffs on each other’s imports, which had led to concerns of commerce ceasing between the two countries. As a result, United States levies on Chinese imports subject to an additional import tax compared with the year’s onset, while items from the United States entering China face a 10% tariff. China’s latest remarks – issued by the Ministry of Commerce in the format of formal replies to media inquiries – echoed language from the zenith of the recent trade conflict. The remarks condemned US export restrictions on chips and semi-conductors while defending the country’s own restrictions on exports on key elements as “normal actions” to safeguard domestic safety and that of every country. The official stated that for “a long time”, the US had “overstretched the concept of state security, abused foreign shipment regulations and “adopted biased policies against the Chinese nation. “Resorting to trade levy ultimatums is not the right way to deal with the Chinese government,” the spokesperson stated. “Beijing’s stance” on a tariff war has always been unchanging: we do not want one, but we are not afraid of one.” Last week, China revealed it was reinforcing foreign shipment restrictions on rare earth minerals and additional substances essential to advanced tech manufacturing. The action was viewed as a key move, as the nation handles about 90% of the world’s rare earths, which are utilized in goods such as solar panels and smartphones. Latest statements from both governments are being interpreted by some as a strategy of strengthening positions ahead of forthcoming discussions. Remains uncertain whether a talks between the former president and Xi Jinping, scheduled at a high-level meeting in the Republic of Korea later this month, will go ahead.