Beijing isn’t backing down. And its message to Washington is crystal clear: intimidation won’t work.
On the 7th of April, 2025, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian took the podium with firm words. Without tweaking the quoted phrases, he called out US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” as nothing short of bullying.
He didn’t stop there, Lin described the tariff hike as “typical unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying.”
In his words, Washington’s so-called reciprocity is just a cover for serving “its own interest at the expense of other countries.”
Trump recently slapped an extra 34% duty on Chinese imports, stacking the total US tariffs against China to a staggering 54% this year. China hit back, rolling out its own set of countermeasures.
Asked about possible talks, Lin left that to “other bodies” but didn’t hint at any eagerness to negotiate.
As of 5th of April, 2025, US customs agents began collecting Trump’s flat 10% tariff on all imports from several countries.
READ ALSO: WTO Warns: US Tariffs Could Squeeze Global Trade
Lin’s take?
“The abuse of tariffs by the United States is tantamount to depriving countries, especially those in the Global South, of their right to development.”
He urged a shift away from America’s go-it-alone approach.
“All countries should uphold consultation, joint construction and sharing, and “genuine multilateralism”, he said.
Lin ended with a call for unity: countries must “jointly oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism” and defend the global trading system as defined by the UN and WTO.