On 2nd February, hours after US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, Beijing condemned the move and called it a violation of global trade rules. China warned the United States of countermeasures to defend its “legitimate rights and interests.” Earlier, Canada and Mexico have also condemned the tariffs imposed on them.
In an official statement, the foreign ministry of China said that the tariffs severely breach World Trade Organisation (WTO) regulations and could disrupt cooperation on critical issues like drug control. The ministry said, “Trade and tariff wars have no winners.” The ministry stressed that unilateral tariff hikes would harm both economies and warned that such measures would not resolve the US’s economic challenges. The ministry added that it would instead strain bilateral relations.
Furthermore, China also addressed the concerns raised by the US over fentanyl. The foreign ministry emphasised that China has taken strong steps to control fentanyl production and has cooperated extensively with Washington. China said, “In the spirit of humanity and goodwill, China has given support to the US’s response to this issue.” The ministry further highlighted that in 2019, China classified all fentanyl-related substances as controlled, a move taken at the request of the US government.
Notably, the Trump administration, in an official statement, accused China of failing to take adequate steps to curb the export of precursor chemicals used in the production of fentanyl and of allowing transnational criminal organisations to engage in money laundering activities. The US government justified the tariffs by arguing that previous administrations failed to use economic leverage effectively to address these issues.
China’s foreign ministry has urged the US to adopt a rational approach to its domestic fentanyl crisis rather than using tariffs as leverage. “The US needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue in an objective and rational way instead of threatening other countries with arbitrary tariff hikes,” the statement said.
Furthermore, China warned that additional tariffs could jeopardise future cooperation on counternarcotics efforts. “China calls on the US to correct its wrongdoings, maintain the hard-won positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation, and promote the steady, sound, and sustainable development of the China-US relationship,” the foreign ministry added.
