Beijing threatens to retaliate against countries limiting Chinese trade

The Chinese government on Monday accused the United States of using tariffs to pressure other countries to curb trade with China. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it was responding to reports that the Trump administration was offering tariff reductions or exemptions to countries if they agreed to limit their dealings with China. Appeasement and compromise with the United States will not bring peace, China said in the released statement. Beijing will take countermeasures against any country that engages in such behavior, it added. An editorial published last week in the government-controlled China Daily warned the European Union against collaborating with the United States. The Trump administration has not officially discussed the alleged plan to offer tariff reductions in exchange for limiting Chinese trade.

Where do U.S. tariffs stand? President Donald Trump earlier this month issued a 90-day pause on the majority of his tariffs after at least 75 countries reached out to negotiate trade agreements. The action did not include China and Trump instead at the time said he was raising the tariff on China to 125%. Beijing responded by also upping its levies against U.S. goods to 125%. Trump has since raised the tariff on China to 145%.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration began holding meetings with foreign leaders to iron out trade deals. The president hosted a delegation from Japan last week and is due to meet with South Korean representatives this week. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has met with leaders from Chile, Vietnam, Israel, Taiwan, and other countries around the world, according to social media posts.

Dig deeper: Listen to Cal Thomas’ report on The World and Everything in It about how to navigate the tariff war.