By China has responded to President Donald Trump’s vow to impose further tariffs. They issued a stark warning that Beijing is ready for a tariff war. Beijing is prepared for ‘any other type of war’.
Trump, 78, aims to dramatically expand tariffs. A 25 per cent tax on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect Tuesday. There are also fresh duties on Chinese goods.
The president, in his Tuesday night address to Congress, revealed that further tariffs would follow on April 2. These include ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and non-tariff actions. They aim to balance out years of trade imbalances.
China’s foreign affairs ministry defiantly responded. They stated, ‘if war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war. It could be a trade war or any other type of war. We’re ready to fight till the end’. The Chinese Ambassador in the US doubled down on the threat by sharing the same remark.
The tariffs, which could upend nearly $2.2trillion in annual trade, came after Trump declared America’s top three trading partners had failed. They did not do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US.
Beijing, however, refutes the allegations. In its scathing response to Trump, it branded the fentanyl crisis a ‘flimsy excuse’ to increase tariffs on Chinese products.
The foreign affairs ministry accused the Trump Administration of ‘blackmail’ and warned that ‘Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China’.
The warning comes amid fears of sparking trade wars. These trade wars could slam economic growth. They could also raise prices for Americans still smarting from years of high inflation.
President Donald Trump, in his address to Congress last night, revealed he plans to dramatically expand tariffs. A 25% tax on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect Tuesday. There are also fresh duties on Chinese goods. He said further tariffs would follow on April 2, including ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and non-tariff actions aimed at balancing out years of trade imbalances
Beijing shot back defiantly. They stated, ‘If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of conflict, we are prepared. We are ready to fight until the end.’ Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China on March 5, 2025
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Trump on Tuesday night reiterated his intention to impose additional reciprocal tariffs next month. This move would likely roil financial markets even more.
‘Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades. Now it’s our turn,’ he said. He cited high duties imposed on US goods by India, South Korea, the European Union, China and others.
Beijing, however, warned against the proposal in a statement from its foreign affairs ministry that was posted to X. A spokesperson said: ‘Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating.
‘The US must consult with China if they truly want to solve the fentanyl issue. Both countries should treat each other as equals.’
The spokesperson also denounced China’s alleged involvement in the deadly fentanyl crisis. They stated, ‘The US, not anyone else, is responsible for the fentanyl crisis inside the US’.
‘In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have taken robust steps to assist the US. in dealing with the issue. The US has sought to smear China instead of recognizing our efforts. It has shifted blame to China. Moreover, it is pressuring and blackmailing China with tariff hikes,’ the statement continued.
‘They’ve been PUNISHING us for helping them. This is not going to solve the US’s problem and will undermine our counternarcotics dialogue and cooperation.’
Xie Feng is the Chinese Ambassador in America. He echoed the foreign ministry’s remarks. He said, ‘if the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.’
The Embassy also doubled down on the ministry’s warning of war by sharing the same statement: ‘If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.’
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A cargo ship loaded with containers docks at Hong Kong International Terminal on March 4, 2025 after President Trump imposed new tariffs on imports from China, Canada, and Mexico, citing fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration
Trump in the past has praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and suggested China could help mediate international crises such as the war in Ukraine.
Beijing and Washington, however, have been locked in a tense economic competition since Trump’s first term, when relations shifted toward a more contentious rivalry.
Trump and Xi discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call in January, just days before Trump’s inauguration – despite the US president having vowed throughout his presidential campaign to raise tariffs on Chinese goods.
Despite the then-threat of tariffs, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties.
Xi, during the call, told Trump: ‘We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for a good start of the China-US relationship during the new US presidency and are willing to secure greater progress in China-US relations from a new starting point.’
Trump, afterwards, took to his platform Truth Social to say ‘the call was a very good one for both China and the USA’ and vowed the time that ‘President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!’
Trump had also extended an unusual invitation to Xi to attend his swearing-in ceremony, but Chinese Vice President Han Zheng instead came as Xi’s special representative.
Despite Trump and Xi’s alleged ‘good relationship’, China and the US have reignited in a tit-for-tat trade for that spanned most of Trump’s first four years in office and was continued to a certain extent under his successor Joe Biden.
Less than a month after returning to the White House on January 20, Trump slapped 10 per cent duties on all Chinese imports.
China responded with 15 per cent duties on coal and liquefied natural gas products, and a 10 per cent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the US.
Beijing also launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Google and added PVH, the owner of US fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, to its ‘unreliable entity’ list. China also restricted the exports of five rare metals used as key components in the defense and clean energy industries among others. Chinese spokesperson calls for a consultation with the US on tariffs
Trump in the past has praised his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, The pair are pictured together at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019
Trump extended an unusual invitation to the Chinese president to attend his swearing-in ceremony, but Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (pictured at Trump’s inauguration) instead came as Xi’s special representative
On February 21, Trump signed a memorandum that restricts ‘Chinese investments in strategic US sectors like technology, critical infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, energy, raw materials, and others’.
The Trump Administration on Tuesday imposed 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico. It also doubled tariffs on China to 20 per cent.
China swiftly retaliated against the newly instated tariffs, announcing 10 to 15 per cent hikes to import levies covering a range of American agricultural and food products.
China also placed twenty-five US firms under export and investment restrictions on national security grounds but refrained from punishing any household names – as it did when it retaliated against the Trump administration’s February 4 tariffs.
Beijing’s foreign ministry warned after announcing its retaliatory measures that the country has never succumbed to bullying or coercion, and that ‘trying to exert extreme pressure on China is a miscalculation and a mistake’.
Canada and Mexico have also vowed to take action against the US in response to Trump’s tariffs.
Members of the Chines Navy stand on the deck of a navy ship at a military port on May 18, 2022 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province of China
US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon sails alongside the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Montreal during Surface Action Group operations as a part of exercise ‘Noble Wolverine’ in the South China Sea May 30, 2023
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the tariffs as ‘a very dumb thing to do’ and hit back with 25 per cent tariffs on C$30billion ($20.7billion) worth of American imports, including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances and motorcycles.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum vowed retaliation but without details, saying she would announce Mexico’s response on Sunday.
