Ministry of Commerce Defends Export Curbs, Says China Will Not Be Intimidated by Threats.
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Sunday issued a strong condemnation of President Donald Trump’s threat of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese exports, labeling the move “a typical example of double standards” as it simultaneously defended its own export curbs on rare earth elements.
The ministry released a lengthy statement following Trump’s announcement Friday of the steep tariff, set to take effect November 1, and new export controls on critical software. The Chinese government insisted it would not yield to economic coercion.
“China’s stance is consistent,” the ministry said in a statement. “We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one.”
Beijing asserted that its recent controls on rare earth exports—minerals critical for manufacturing advanced technology like smartphones and military hardware—were a necessary response to a series of “provocative and damaging” measures taken by the U.S. since trade talks held in Madrid last month.
Specifically, Beijing cited Washington’s decisions to blacklist Chinese firms and impose port fees on China-linked ships as actions that “severely harmed China’s interests and undermined the atmosphere for bilateral economic and trade talks.”
Despite the rising tensions, China has not yet announced any retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. The escalation risks derailing a potential face-to-face meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea later this month.
