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BEIJING: Beijing warned yesterday that it is ready to hit back at the United States if it harms China\u2019s economic interests, fuelling fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump unveiled steel and aluminium tariffs, reports AFP.<\/p>\nBEIJING: Beijing warned yesterday that it is ready to hit back at the United States if it harms China\u2019s economic interests, fuelling fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump unveiled steel and aluminium tariffs, reports AFP.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s announcement on Thursday sparked a flurry of counter-threats from other nations but its main trade rival, China, had avoided any overt warnings of potential retaliation until now.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina doesn\u2019t want a trade war with the United States,\u201d Zhang Yesui, spokesman for the National People\u2019s Congress, told a news conference on Sunday, the eve of the rubber-stamp parliament\u2019s annual session.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if the US takes actions that hurt Chinese interests, China will not sit idly by and will take necessary measures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zhang warned that \u201cpolicies informed by misjudgement or wrong perceptions will hurt relations and bring consequences no side wants to see\u201d.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s announcement came as President Xi Jinping\u2019s top economic aide, Liu He, met with US officials at the White House this week to discuss the fraught economic relationship.<\/p>\n
During his visit, according to the official Xinhua news agency, Liu and his hosts \u201cagreed that the two countries should settle their trade disputes by cooperation rather than confrontation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Since announcing plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminium, Trump has shrugged off threats from other nations, boasting on Friday that \u201ctrade wars are good, and easy to win\u201d.<\/p>\n
China has been the main target of Trump\u2019s ire over the US trade deficit since his presidential campaign, but its steel and aluminium exports to the United States are minimal.<\/p>\n
While China is the world\u2019s largest steel producer, it accounts for less than one percent of US imports and sells only 10 percent of its wrought aluminium abroad.<\/p>\n
Steel producers in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey rely far more heavily on the US market.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe American action to put sanctions on other countries\u2019 reasonable steel and aluminium exports in the name of harming national security is groundless,\u201d Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Some US allies, like Canada and Australia, had hoped to be spared the tariffs. A US official said Friday no countries will be exempt, but added that possible exemptions to the measures would be considered on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n
Australia warned that a trade conflict could put the brakes on global economic growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what concerns me, if we continue to see an escalation of rhetoric and, ultimately, action around tariffs applying for imports and exports across multiple economies… this will lead to a slow-down in growth,\u201d trade minister Steve Ciobo told Sky News Australia Sunday.<\/p>\n
Trump ratched up the rhetoric on Saturday, threatening a tax on cars from the European Union if it enacts retaliatory measures.<\/p>\n
On Friday, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU was drawing up measures against leading US brands such as Levi\u2019s and Harley-Davidson.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australia yesterday warned against tit-for-tat retaliation and the outbreak of a trade war that could slow global economic growth, as it pushed to be excluded from US President Donald Trump\u2019s steel and aluminium tariffs, reports AFP.<\/p>\n
Canberra has sought to be exempt from the hefty tariffs, citing an understanding reached with the United States at G20 meetings last year.<\/p>\n
There are also local industry concerns that the tariffs could see cheap steel destined for the US flood the domestic market instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen… over the last 48 hours commentary from Canada, from the European Union. We\u2019ve seen the US government going back about tariffs on cars,\u201d Trade Minister Steve Ciobo told Sky News Australia Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING: Beijing warned yesterday that it is ready to hit back at the United States if it harms China\u2019s economic interests, fuelling fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump unveiled steel and aluminium tariffs, reports AFP. Trump\u2019s announcement on Thursday sparked a flurry of counter-threats from other nations but its main trade rival, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":41854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n