China Condemns Fresh US Tariffs, Warns Washington Against Trade War

China has condemned the latest tariffs imposed by the United States on its exports and those of 59 other countries over alleged forced labour concerns, warning that renewed trade restrictions could reignite global trade tensions.

The new US tariffs, announced on Friday, range from 10 to 12.5 per cent, with China facing the highest rate of 12.5 per cent.

Reacting to the development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian criticised the measures, describing them as unilateral tariff actions.

“We oppose all forms of unilateral tariff measures,” Lin told a news briefing on Friday.

He further warned that escalating trade restrictions would be detrimental to all parties.

“Tariff wars and trade wars are not in the interests of any party,” he said.

The latest tariffs replace a temporary global duty introduced earlier this year by US President Donald Trump.

The move comes after the Trump administration intensified efforts to rebuild the president’s tariff policy following a February ruling by the US Supreme Court that struck down several of his earlier tariffs, limiting his authority to impose broad trade levies.

Announcing the new measures, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington was strengthening enforcement of its ban on imports linked to forced labour.

“We are rigorously enforcing a forced labour import ban, and it is well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” Greer said.

Under the new tariff regime, countries that have adopted forced labour import bans, including Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom, will face a lower tariff rate of 10 per cent.

Other major US trading partners, including India and Japan, were subjected to the higher 12.5 per cent tariff.

The latest development threatens to strain relations between Washington and Beijing, which had eased after both countries reached a trade truce following a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October last year.

Following Trump’s visit to Beijing earlier this year, China had expressed willingness to work with the United States to reduce tariffs and improve trade relations. However, the fresh measures are expected to renew trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.