The Chinese Embassy in the US posted to X on Monday, “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
According to CNN, Beijing responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing its own retaliatory levies of up to 15 percent on selected American goods. It also sent a stern warning to the Trump administration: Chinese people will never bow to “hegemony or bullying.”
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said during a news briefing on Tuesday, “Pressure, coercion, and threats are not the right ways to engage with China. Trying to exert maximum pressure on China is a miscalculation and a mistake. If the US insists on waging a tariff war, trade war, or any other kind of war, China will fight till the end.”
Trump’s address to Congress Tuesday night coincided with a state-of-the-union-like speech delivered by Chinese official Li Qiang at the opening meeting of the National’s People Congress (NPC), where Li announced China’s yearly targets for economic growth and military spending as well as Beijing’s plans to continue its economic growth despite increasing pressure from the US.
According to CNN, the increased tariffs have begun creating economic difficulties for Beijing, as the communist country grapples with a slowing economy, property sector crisis, and high local government debt, while foreign investment has plummeted and people struggle to find jobs.
