There is no winner in trade war, tariff war: Chinese foreign ministry

BEIJING,  (Xinhua) — China firmly deplores and opposes the U.S. decision to impose a 10 percent additional tariff on imports from China and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

“China’s position is firm and consistent. There is no winner in trade and tariff wars,” the spokesperson stressed, adding that the U.S. unilateral tariff hikes severely violate WTO rules. This move cannot solve the U.S. problems at home and more importantly, does not benefit either side, still less the world.

According to the spokesperson, China is one of the world’s toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation. Fentanyl is an issue for the United States. In the spirit of humanity and goodwill, China has given support to the United States in its response to this issue.

At the request of the U.S. side, China announced back in 2019 the decision to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a class. China is the first country in the world to do so, the spokesperson said, adding that China has engaged in extensive counternarcotics cooperation with the U.S. side. “The achievements we have made are there for all to see.”

The United States needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue in an objective and rational way instead of threatening other countries with arbitrary tariff hikes. Additional tariffs are not constructive and are bound to affect and harm the counternarcotics cooperation between the two sides in the future, the spokesperson said.

“China calls on the United States to correct its wrongdoings, maintain the hard-won positive dynamics in the counternarcotics cooperation, and promote a steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relationship,” the spokesperson said. ¡ö