China warns nations against US trade deals at its expense
BEIJING—China on Monday accused Washington of abusing tariffs and warned countries against striking a broader economic deal with the United States at its expense, ratcheting up its rhetoric in a spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
Beijing will firmly oppose any party striking a deal at China’s expense and “will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner,” its Commerce Ministry said.
The ministry was responding to a Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the Trump administration is preparing to pressure nations seeking tariff reductions or exemptions from the United States to curb trade with China, including imposing monetary sanctions.
President Donald Trump paused the sweeping tariffs he announced on dozens of countries on April 2 except those on China, singling out the world’s second largest economy for the biggest levies.
In a series of moves, Washington has raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent, prompting Beijing to slap retaliatory duties of 125 percent on US goods, effectively erecting trade embargoes against each other. Last week, China signaled that its own across-the-board rates would not rise further.
Discussions
“The United States has abused tariffs on all trading partners under the banner of so-called ‘equivalence,’ while also forcing all parties to start so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ negotiations with them,” the ministry spokesperson said.
China is determined and capable of safeguarding its own rights and interests, and is willing to strengthen solidarity with all parties, the ministry said.
Earlier this month, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said nearly 50 countries have approached him to discuss the steep additional tariffs imposed by Trump.
Several bilateral talks on tariffs have taken place since, with Japan considering raising soybean and rice imports as part of its talks with the US while Indonesia is planning to increase US food and commodities imports and reduce orders from other nations.
Xi Asean visit
China’s President Xi Jinping visited three Southeast Asian countries last week in a move to bolster regional ties, calling on trade partners to oppose unilateral bullying.
Beijing has said it is “tearing down walls” and expanding its circle of trading partners amid the trade row.
The stakes are high for Southeast Asian nations caught in the crossfire of the Sino-US tariff war, particularly given the regional Asean bloc’s huge two-way trade with both China and the United States.
Economic ministers from Thailand and Indonesia are currently in the United States, with Malaysia set to join later this week, all seeking trade negotiations.
Six countries in Southeast Asia were hit with tariffs ranging from 32 percent to 49 percent, threatening trade-reliant economies that have benefited from investment from levies imposed on Beijing by Trump in his first term.
Asean is China’s largest trading partner, with total trade value reaching $234 billion in the first quarter of 2025, China’s customs agency said last week.
Trade between Asean and the US was $476.8 billion in 2024, according to US figures, making Washington the regional bloc’s fourth-largest trading partner.
