"Unilateral Bullying," Says Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesperson on U.S. Reciprocal Tariff Announcement
Scott Besant Urges, "Do Not Retaliate"
On the 2nd (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced a reciprocal tariff policy, and China, which will bear tariff burdens of up to 54%, stated on the 3rd that it will take countermeasures.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement regarding the U.S. announcement of reciprocal tariffs, "This does not comply with international trade rules and is a typical unilateral bullying act that seriously undermines the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of the relevant countries."
The spokesperson added, "The U.S. derived reciprocal tariffs based on subjective and unilateral evaluations," and "Many trading partners have already expressed strong dissatisfaction and clear opposition to this."
He emphasized, "China urges the U.S. to immediately withdraw the unilateral tariff measures and properly resolve differences through equal dialogue with trading partners."
Donald Trump, President of the United States, is holding up the executive order related to reciprocal tariffs after signing it in the Rose Garden of the White House on the 2nd (local time). Photo by Xinhua News Agency Yonhap News
The spokesperson also said, "As history has proven, raising tariffs cannot solve the U.S.'s own problems, and it harms not only the U.S.'s own interests but also threatens global economic development and supply chain stability," adding, "There are no winners in a trade war, and there is no retreat in protectionism."
Furthermore, he criticized, "Such actions (reciprocal tariffs) ignore the balanced benefits derived from years of multilateral trade negotiations and also disregard the fact that the U.S. has long gained enormous benefits from international trade."
The U.S. government announced that it will apply a 34% reciprocal tariff rate to China. When combined with the existing 20% tariff imposed on China, tariffs could reach up to 54% depending on the product. Reciprocal tariff rates for other major countries are South Korea 25%, European Union (EU) 20%, Vietnam 46%, Taiwan 32%, Japan 24%, and India 26%.
Meanwhile, on the same day, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant urged U.S. trading partners not to take retaliatory measures regarding the reciprocal tariffs. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, he said, "It is better not to retaliate," and added, "As long as there is no retaliation, this announcement is the ceiling (of tariff increases)."
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