Beijing - Saba:
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on China, vowing that it would take necessary countermeasures to firmly protect Beijing's legitimate rights and interests, and that there are no winners in trade wars.
"China expresses its strong condemnation and opposition to the US imposition of a 10 percent tariff on Chinese products exported to the US due to fentanyl, and will take necessary countermeasures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by its official website.
"China's position is consistent and firm on this matter. There is no winner in trade wars and tariff wars. The unilateral imposition of tariffs by the US seriously violates WTO rules, and not only does not solve its problems, but also harms both sides and does not benefit the world."
"China is one of the countries with the most stringent and comprehensive anti-drug policy in the world. Fentanyl is America's problem. In the spirit of humanity, China has provided support to the US in its response to the fentanyl problem," the statement added.
In particular, at the request of the United States, China officially announced adding fentanyl to the list of controlled substances in 2019, becoming the first country in the world to take such measures. In addition, the ministry pointed out that China and the United States have carried out extensive cooperation in counter-narcotics and achieved significant results, which is an obvious fact.
"The United States should view and handle the fentanyl issue objectively and rationally, instead of threatening other countries with tariffs," according to the statement.
It also called on Washington to "correct its wrong practices, maintain the hard-won good situation of China-US anti-drug cooperation, and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations."
Trump had previously announced plans to increase tariffs by 10 percent on goods from China and signed an executive order imposing 25 percent tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada.
During his first term as US president, Trump imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum. At the end of 2022, another trade war began to loom between America and its European partners after the United States passed an anti-inflation law that Europe described as unfair competition. In response, the European Union imposed customs duties on American goods.
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