China on Monday issued a direct warning to countries considering trade deals with the US that could disadvantage Beijing.
The warning came in the aftermath of reports that the Trump administration in the US may offer tariff exemptions to other nations in return for limiting their trade with China.
President Trump this month paused major tariff increases on other countries for 90 days, while hiking duties further on goods from China to 145 percent.
“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests. If this happens, China will not accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said, CNBC reported.
China retaliates against US tariffs with levies of 125 percent on imports of American goods
The ministry cautioned about the risk to all countries once international trade returns to the “law of the jungle.”
The statement also sought to cast China as willing to work with all parties and “defend international fairness and justice,” while describing the US actions as “abusing tariffs” and “unilateral bullying.”
In a shift toward a harder stance this month, China retaliated against US tariffs with levies of 125 percent on imports of American goods.
Beijing has also restricted critical minerals exports and put several, mostly smaller, US companies on blacklists that restrict their ability to work with Chinese companies.
Analysts do not expect the US and China to reach a deal anytime soon, although Trump on Thursday said he expected an agreement could be reached in the next three to four weeks.
Chinese President Xi Jinping last week visited Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia in his first overseas trip of 2025.
In official Chinese readouts of his meetings with the three countries’ leaders, Xi called for joint efforts to oppose tariffs and “unilateral bullying.”
Since Trump imposed tariffs on China during his first term, the Asian country has increased its trade with Southeast Asia, now China’s largest trading partner on a regional basis.
Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce replaced its top international trade negotiator with Li Chenggang, who also became a vice minister and has been the country’s ambassador to the World Trade Organization.
China has also filed a lawsuit against the US with the WTO over Trump’s latest tariff increases.
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