China issued a warning to other countries, urging them not to enter into trade agreements with the United States that could harm Beijing’s interests. This exacerbates tensions in relations with Washington and demonstrates the risk for states caught between opposing sides, informs Bloomberg.
A statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce released on April 21 said that while China recognizes the right of other countries to resolve trade disputes with the United States, it “resolutely opposes anyone making deals at the expense of China’s interests.”
The document also emphasizes that if this does happen, Beijing “will never accept it and will take tough measures in response.” The Chinese government has expressed its willingness to strengthen solidarity and coordination with all parties, and jointly oppose and resist unilateral pressure.
These statements were made against the background of the preparation of a number of countries for negotiations with the United States on the reduction or abolition of tariffs, which were introduced by the administration of Donald Trump for about 60 countries, and later temporarily suspended. In response to these negotiations, the United States requires countries to reduce trade with China and limit Beijing’s economic influence so that it cannot circumvent the established restrictions.
Trump’s advisers are considering the idea of introducing so-called “secondary tariffs” — that is, financial sanctions on imports from countries that have close economic ties with China. The US also wants its partners not to buy up excess Chinese goods.
The US is already in talks with Japan and preparing for further rounds of talks, including with Taiwan, which has described the talks on export controls as “intense”. South Korea’s trade representative is also due to visit Washington this week to kick off new talks.
