The Chinese government said Tuesday it would take “countermeasures” after President Trump imposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports, a move that Trump has already warned would result in tariffs on all Chinese exports.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday it would take unspecified measures to respond to the new U.S. tariffs, which are aimed at punishing China for its failure to protect U.S. intellectual property rights. While China offered no details, it has responded twice before to U.S. tariffs with tariffs of its own against U.S. goods.
According to China Daily, China’s trade ministry “deeply regrets” the new 10 percent tariff on a big chunk of China’s exports to the United States. The ministry said the U.S. move “brings new uncertainty to the negotiations,” the state-run paper wrote.
Trump warned that if China retaliates, the U.S. would quickly impose tariffs on $267 billion more worth of Chinese exports — which is roughly the rest of what China sells to the U.S.
But China was undeterred.
“We feel deeply regretful over the decision,” a Ministry of Commerce spokesman said, according to Xinhua. “China will be forced to take synchronous countermeasures to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests as well as the global free trade order.”
“[We] hope that the U.S. side recognizes the potentially harmful consequences of such an action and timely rectify the situation with convincing means,” the spokesperson said.
The new U.S. tariffs are set to take hold on Sept. 24, starting at 10 percent. Starting in 2019, the tariff will rise to 25 percent.
