Beijing warns nations of 'appeasing' US in tariff war

EghtesadOnline: Beijing has warned of retaliatory measures against countries that reach trade agreements with the United States at the expense of China’s interests, as other nations are dragged into the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

In its latest response to the steeply increased US tariffs, China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that Beijing “respects all parties' efforts to resolve their trade disputes with the US through equal consultation.” However, China will not accept any US-led trade deals that harm its interests and will “respond resolutely and reciprocally with countermeasures” to safeguard its rights and interests.

In the statement, China described the US tariffs as “unilateral bullying” in international trade, adding that “if international trade regresses to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, all countries will become victims.”

Last week, the Trump administration was reportedly planning to pressure US trading partners to limit deals with China in ongoing tariff negotiations. Countries with close trade ties to China may face so-called secondary tariffs.