Beijing: As soon as US President Donald Trump started his second term, he drove a tariff weapon on countries around the world including China. Other countries were frightened by Trump’s tariff. Mexico and Canada immediately called Trump, but Xi Jinping, facing a trade war with the US for the last few years, avoided calling Trump and adopted a separate strategy. China, which was entangled in the trade war during Trump’s first term, has made it clear this time that any talks will take place at the same level.
Chinese leaders have said that they are ready to discuss with the US, but they are also ready to face high American charges. Since starting his second term seven weeks ago, Trump has increased tariffs by 20 percent on China. Taking lessons from sudden embarrassment during Trump’s first term, China was ready to retaliate by putting high tariffs on major American agricultural imports.
Sun Youn, director of the China program at the Washington’s Think Tank Stimson Center, said that when the US increased the tariff, China had no option but to retaliate. This does not mean that Beijing does not want to negotiate, rather China wants to demonstrate that it will not beg or pray to the US for conversation.
As the second largest economy in the world, China aspires to become a great power on the regional and global platform. At a time when the US imposed another 10 percent tariff last week after 10 percent tariff imposed on 4 February, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted strongly.
China said that if the US wants war, whether it is tariff war, business war or any other type of war, we are ready to fight till the end. When Trump started a trade war during his first term, China also reacted in a similar way. Since then, Chinese leaders have developed a toolcoat of tariffs, import restrictions, export controls, restrictions, regulatory reviews and measures to limit companies in China.
This toolkit has been designed to damage the US economy and industries in response to the US attack. China’s Foreign Ministry has made it clear that if Xi Jinping is disturbed or humiliated, they will not make any call. Both political and strategic reasons will not play the role of a beggar. China is reacting quickly but judiciously on each tariff set. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that no country should think that it can develop or control it by developing good relations with China.
