China’s Ministry of Commerce says appeasing the Trump administration ‘cannot bring peace’.China has warned countries seeking exemptions from United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs not to strike deals at its expense.
Beijing’s warning comes as dozens of US trade partners are scrambling to negotiate relief from Trump’s trade salvoes, including steep “reciprocal” tariffs that have been paused until July.
“Appeasement cannot bring peace, and compromise will not earn respect,” a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.
“Sacrificing others’ interests to obtain so-called exemptions for temporary selfish gains is akin to negotiating with a tiger; it ultimately leads to failure for both parties and harms everyone involved.”
While China respects countries’ efforts to resolve their trade disputes with the US, they should also “stand on the side of fairness and justice” and “on the correct side of history”, the ministry said.
“It is particularly important to emphasise that China firmly opposes any party achieving deals at the expense of Chinese interests,” the spokesperson said. Advertisement
“Should such a situation arise, China will not accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures.”
The ministry issued the statement after Bloomberg News last week reported that the Trump administration intends to push countries seeking relief from tariffs to reduce their trade with China.
US officials are discussing plans to pressure trade partners to stop importing excess goods from China and impose duties on imports from specific countries with close ties to the Asia …
