Beijing will resolutely counter US pressure on tariffs: China foreign minister

Beijing will “resolutely counter” U.S. pressure on tariffs and the fentanyl issue, China’s foreign minister said on Friday, adding that major powers “should not bully the weak”, in a veiled swipe at the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

China also presented itself as a reliable global power in the midst of geopolitical turmoil and U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from international institutions, part of a clear appeal from Beijing to Europe and countries in the Global South.

The U.S. levied an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports this week over the continued flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the country, threatening to worsen an escalatory spiral of trade actions.

“If one side blindly exerts pressure, China will resolutely counter that,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a briefing on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting.

The U.S. “should not repay kindness with grievances, let alone impose tariffs without reason,” Wang added, referring to the “various assistance” Beijing has provided Washington over the years on tackling the flow of fentanyl precursor drugs into the U.S.
Wang’s relatively subdued remarks on the U.S., without mentioning Trump once by name, suggested Beijing wishes to keep the prospect of potential future trade talks alive, said Wen-Ti Sung, a Taiwan-based nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.

“They want to pursue any room for de-escalation with Trump when it comes to trade,” Sung said. “One way of doing it is to keep the level of rhetorical intensity down to manageable size to preserve room for manoeuvre for both sides.”

UKRAINE STANCE

On resolving the Ukraine war, China wants to achieve a “fair, lasting and binding peace agreement” acceptable to all parties, Wang Yi said.

“China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in the final resolution of the crisis and the realisation of lasting peace, in accordance with the wishes of the parties concerned, together with the international community.”

Western countries have urged Beijing to take a more active role in using its economic leverage over Russia to stop the war, but Beijing has so far refused to publicly criticise its strategic partner or halt its economic support of Moscow.

China-Russia relations are a “constant in a turbulent world, not a variable in geopolitical games,” Wang told the press conference.

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently reaffirmed Beijing’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow in a telephone call with his Russian counterpart on the third anniversary of Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Read More: China says trade wars have ‘no winners’ after new US tariffs

Trump has upended U.S. policy on Ukraine after taking office last month, showing a more conciliatory stance towards Russia that has unnerved Washington’s traditional allies in the West.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday the Ukraine conflict is a “proxy war” between Washington and Moscow that needs to end, and has previously said that Washington wishes to “peel off” Moscow from Beijing.

Analysts say Beijing wishes to exploit the growing transatlantic rift to bolster its ties with European countries, which have been strained over Ukraine and trade tensions.
“China still has confidence in Europe, and believes Europe can still be China’s trusted partner,” Wang said.

GLOBAL SOUTH

Wang Yi also urged developing countries to “continue to improve our representation and discourse power in global governance”.
“If every country emphasizes its own national priorities and believes in strength and status, the world will regress to the law of the jungle, small and weak countries will bear the brunt,” said Wang in a veiled reference to Washington’s actions.

“Major powers … should not be profit-driven, and they should not bully the weak.”
Within the first two months of taking office, Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from several multilateral organisations and climate agreements, suspended most foreign aid, and voted against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia for the Ukraine invasion.

“At a time when the Trump administration’s foreign policy is revising a lot of established expectations, China wants to present itself as preserving the status quo,” said Sung, the analyst.

“When the Global South sees a retrenching, inward-looking U.S., there’s a fear of a strategic vacuum – one that China intends to help fill.”