On Wednesday, China declared it would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its interests in response to the United States’ imposition of a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminium imports.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning addressed the issue during a daily news conference, emphasizing that China has long believed protectionism offers no solution, and that trade and tariff wars have no winners.
“The actions of the United States seriously breach World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, undermine the multilateral trading system based on rules, and fail to provide a real solution to the issue,” Mao stated. “China will take all necessary actions to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”
The US tariffs, which took effect at 0401 GMT on Wednesday, mark a significant escalation in the ongoing trade dispute between the United States and its major trading partners.
Though China is the world’s largest steel producer, it is not a major exporter of steel to the United States. Earlier in March, US President Donald Trump raised the tariff on Chinese imports from 10 percent to 20 percent, prompting retaliatory measures from Beijing, including tariffs on certain US agricultural products.
AFP
