China Vows To 'Fight To The End' After Trump Threatens To Impose Still More Tariffs | rssama.com

BEIJING (AP) — China said Tuesday it would “fight to nan end” and return countermeasures against nan United States to safeguard its ain interests aft President Donald Trump threatened an further 50% tariff connected Chinese imports.

The Commerce Ministry said nan U.S.‘s imposition of “so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’” connected China is “completely groundless and is simply a emblematic unilateral bullying practice.”

China, nan world’s second-largest economy, has taken retaliatory tariffs and nan ministry hinted successful its latest connection that much whitethorn beryllium coming.

“The countermeasures China has taken are aimed astatine safeguarding its sovereignty, information and improvement interests, and maintaining nan normal world waste and acquisition order. They are wholly legitimate,” nan ministry said.

“The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs connected China is simply a correction connected apical of a correction and erstwhile again exposes nan blackmailing quality of nan US. China will ne'er judge this. If nan US insists connected its ain way, China will conflict to nan end,” it added.

Trump’s threat Monday of further tariffs connected China raised caller concerns that his thrust to rebalance nan world system could intensify a financially destructive waste and acquisition war. Stock markets from Tokyo to New York person go much unstable arsenic nan tariff warfare worsens.

“If China does not retreat its 34% summation supra their already agelong word trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, nan United States will enforce ADDITIONAL Tariffs connected China of 50%, effective April 9th,” Trump wrote connected Truth Social. “Additionally, each talks pinch China concerning their requested meetings pinch america will beryllium terminated!”

If Trump implements his caller tariffs connected Chinese products, U.S. tariffs connected Chinese equipment would scope a mixed 104%. The caller taxes would beryllium connected apical of nan 20% tariffs announced arsenic reward for fentanyl trafficking and his abstracted 34% tariffs announced past week. Not only could that summation prices for American consumers, it could besides springiness China an inducement to flood different countries pinch cheaper equipment and activity deeper relationships pinch different trading partners, peculiarly nan European Union.

Trump often bragged astir banal marketplace gains during his first term, and nan threat of losses connected Wall Street was viewed arsenic a imaginable guardrail connected risky economical policies successful his 2nd term. But that hasn’t been nan case, and Trump has described days of financial symptom arsenic necessary.

“I don’t mind going done it because I spot a beautiful image astatine nan end,” he said.

Trump officials person often appeared connected tv to make nan lawsuit for his policies, but nary of their explanations has calmed nan markets. The only betterment came from a false report that apical economical advisor Kevin Hassett said Trump was considering a region connected each tariffs isolated from for China. Stock prices spiked earlier nan White House denied it was existent by calling nan station “fake news.”

China is 1 of nan U.S.’s apical trading partners, particularly for user goods, and nan tariffs — fundamentally a taxation connected imports paid by U.S. companies — will yet beryllium passed connected to nan consumer.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said nan European Union would attraction connected waste and acquisition pinch different countries too nan United States, saying location are “vast opportunities” elsewhere.

U.S. full equipment waste and acquisition pinch China were an estimated $582 cardinal successful 2024, making it nan apical trader successful equipment pinch nan U.S. The 2024 shortage pinch China successful equipment and services waste and acquisition was betwixt $263 cardinal and $295 billion.

In Hong Kong, wherever stocks were somewhat higher Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee blasted nan latest U.S. tariffs arsenic “bullying,” saying nan “ruthless behavior” has damaged world and multilateral waste and acquisition and brought awesome risks and uncertainties to nan world.

Lee said nan metropolis would nexus its system person to China’s development, motion much free waste and acquisition agreements, pull much overseas companies and superior to Hong Kong, and support section enterprises successful coping pinch nan effect of nan tariffs.

___

Associated Press writers Chris Megerian and Josh Boak successful Washington, Christopher Bodeen successful Taipei, Taiwan, and Kanis Leung successful Hong Kong contributed to this report.