By Kolawole Ojebisi
China has told the United States to stop using threats and blackmail as it resorted to game of brinkmanship amid the ongoing trade war between the two countries.
The Asian country made this call on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said it was up to Beijing to come to the negotiating table to discuss ending their trade war.
Recall that Trump has slapped sweeping new tariffs on countries of the world, regardless of their relationship with the US.
He, however, reserved his heaviest blows for China, with new levies of up to 145 percent on many Chinese imports even as Beijing has retaliated with duties on US goods of 125 percent.
“If the US really wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop exerting extreme pressure, stop threatening and blackmailing, and talk to China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Lin, who stated that China’s position has been very clear, reiterated that there is no winner in a tariff war or a trade war, adding that China does not want to fight, but it is not afraid to fight.
The New Diplomat had reported that the new US levies mean that the tariffs on certain Chinese goods are as high as 245 percent, which the White House said in a factsheet on Tuesday were as a result of its retaliatory actions.
According to Chinese commerce ministry in a statement later on Wednesday, it had noted that the cumulative tariffs on some individual Chinese exports to the US have reached 245 percent under various designations, without detailing the scope of the products affected.
“The United States has instrumentalized and weaponized tariffs to a completely irrational level,” the ministry said.
Trump initially imposed 20 percent tariffs on imports from China over its alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain, on top of duties from previous administrations, then added 125 percent over trade practices that Washington deems unfair.
The Republican’s administration has, however, given temporary reprieve for certain tech products such as smartphones and laptops.
The White House said on Tuesday it was up to Beijing to make the first move towards ending the dispute, which economists warn could cause a global recession.
