According to Reuters on March 4, China's Commerce Ministry announced that it would respond to new tariffs imposed by the US, emphasizing that this move was an "accusation" by the Trump administration regarding fentanyl.
The additional 10% tax rate that US President Donald Trump threatened to impose on Chinese goods is set to take effect from 05:00 GMT on March 4, bringing the total to 20%.
This is the latest move by the White House to put pressure on Beijing, saying that China is not acting strongly enough to prevent the supply of above-ground chemicals. However, China has denied all related allegations.
The Global Times, a publication of the People's Artist - the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China - reported that Beijing has planned to impose retaliatory tariffs on agricultural and food products of Washington. In addition to tariffs, China is also expected to apply a series of non- tariffs in response to the new US move.
China's Ministry of Commerce affirmed that the US unilateral tax measures violate the regulations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and damage the multilateral trading system. The agency stressed that US measures do not help solve the problem but also damage bilateral trade relations and disrupt international trade.
China has called on the US to "immediately withdraw" what it considers "unreasonable and unfounded" tariffs, warning that these policies will not only hurt Beijing but also negatively affect Washington itself.
