Washington (TDI): The Chinese Embassy in the United States said on Wednesday that it was “ready to fight till the end” with the US in its trade war.
Major Asian markets traded up on Wednesday, reversing their losses a day after US President Donald Trump imposed more blanket tariffs on Chinese imports following a similar action last month.
US tariffs are likely to target hundreds of billions of dollars in total trade between the world’s two largest economies.
Chinese exports also reached record levels in 2024.
“If war is what the United States wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, China is ready to fight till the end,” the Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement.
The embassy quoted a post by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman which said that, “The fentanyl issue is a flimsy excuse to raise United States’ tariffs on Chinese imports. China’s countermeasures to defend its rights and interests are fully legitimate and necessary.”
Earlier in the month, Washington decided to impose a 10% tariff on goods imported from China.
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The White House said the 10% tariff is on all imports from China and on top of existing tariffs.
The tariff increase will come into effect on Tuesday. Washington cited the fentanyl issue in the United States as the justification for the move.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid, fifty times more potent than heroin.
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It is often used to make counterfeit narcotics due to its relatively cheap price, and it has played a major role in an opioid crisis in the US.
