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China warned that it's ready for any "type of war" with the United States in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs going into effect.
“If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a press conference late Tuesday (March 4) via the People's Republic of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tensions between the U.S. and China rose after Trump increased a 10% tariff on Chinese imports to 20%, which he claimed would cease the flow of fentanyl into America. Jian's statement, which was reiterated by the Chinese embassy in Washington's X account, warned that the country would not be swayed by "intimidation" or "bullying" as it responded with its own 15% tariff on U.S. goods.
“Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculation,” the spokesperson said.
Trump claims his tariffs -- which also include a 25% on Canadian and 20% tax on Mexican goods -- were implemented as a way to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis, arguing that authorities haven't previously done enough to crack down on the deadly drugs being imported into the U.S. China responded by saying that if the U.S. "truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue" then the "right thing to do" would be to show mutual respect to China, while also claiming that its retaliatory 15% tariff on American goods "has made clear its opposition" to Trump's tariffs and that the country must "defend our rights and interests."
Trump defended his tariffs decision during his joint address to Congress Tuesday night, claiming "other countries have used tariffs against us for decades."
“And now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” he added via the New York Post.
The tariffs are reported to apply to an estimated $1.4 trillion in Mexican, Canadian and Chinese imports, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, while Trump also announced plans to implement "reciprocal" tariffs on other countries on Monday (March 3), which includes European allies and Japan, going into effect on April 2.