China has said it is open to dialogue with the United States after US president Donald Trump announced a 125 per cent tariff on its goods while pausing increased import duties on other countries. But the ministry of commerce in Beijing said on Thursday that any talks must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and without threats.
“China’s position is clear and consistent. If the US wants to talk, our door remains open, but dialogue must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and equality. If the US wants to fight, our response will continue to the end. Pressure, threats, and coercion are not the right way to deal with China,” spokesman He Yongqian said.
Announcing on Wednesday night that other countries would face only a 10 per cent tariff, Mr Trump said he was increasing the tariff on Chinese imports because of a “lack of respect” shown by Beijing. Tariffs on China are now calculated to have reached a total of 145 per cent.
China retaliated against Trump’s imposition of a 104 per cent tariff by slapping an 84 per cent tariff on US goods, restricting exports of some rare minerals and targeting individual American companies.
China did not immediately announce a further increase in its tariff on US goods in response to Trump’s latest move. But the China Film Administration said it would reduce the number of American films shown in Chinese cinemas.
“The US government’s erroneous practice of imposing excessive tariffs on China is likely to further diminish the Chinese audience’s favourable perception of American films,” it said.
Trump’s tariffs: “The rest of the world is now going to de-risk from the United States”
“We will adhere to market principles, respect audience choices and moderately reduce the import volume of American films.”
Amid fiery rhetoric about the tariff war on Chinese social media, China’s official comments on Thursday remained defiant.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian described the US tariffs as a blatant defiance of universal principles and a confrontation with the entire world.
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“Taking necessary countermeasures to oppose the bullying actions of the US is not only to safeguard our own sovereignty, security, and development interests, but also to uphold international fairness and justice, protect the multilateral trading system, and defend the common interests of the international community.”
“Those who uphold justice gain wide support, while those who act against it have little. The US’ reckless and unjust actions are unpopular and will ultimately end in failure,” he said.
“There is no winner in a trade war. We do not want a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting one. We will never allow the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people to be taken way, nor will we tolerate the undermining of international economic rules and the multilateral trading system.”
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Beijing said on Thursday that commerce minister Wang Wentao and EU trade commissioner Maros Sevcovic agreed earlier this week to start negotiations on electric vehicle pricing and investment co-operation in the auto sector. European fears of the impact of low-priced Chinese electric vehicles on its car industry have been among the impediments to a closer trading relationship.
Talks on the issue could see China agreeing to a minimum price in the for its electric vehicles and Chinese manufacturers opening more electric vehicle and battery plants in Europe.
