China pledges ‘countermeasures’ after Trump announces new 10% tariff

After US President Donald Trump announced he would start new tariffs on Chinese goods in response to the fentanyl smuggling, China has warned the country of “countermeasures.”

Trump announced that his proposed 25 percent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods would go into effect on March 4 by announcing an additional 10 percent duty on Chinese imports on Thursday.

Trump claimed on Truth Social that the new tariff would be imposed following the “very high and unacceptable levels” of fentanyl entering the US in addition to the 10% duty that was already levied on Chinese goods earlier this month.

China’s Ministry of Commerce responded to Trump’s comments on Friday, saying that Washington was “shifting the blame and shirking responsibility” and that China’s drug laws were among the strictest in the world.

China reaffirms its commitment to the US by urging it to resolve disputes as quickly as possible through dialogue, according to a ministry spokesperson.

China will take all necessary countermeasures to protect its legitimate rights and interests if the US insists on doing this.

The spokesperson continued, “We have repeatedly stated that unilateral tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and undermine the multilateral trading system.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 74, 000 people died in US overdoses in 2023 from synthetic opioids.

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, China is the main producer of the so-called precursor chemicals that Mexican cartels use to sell fentanyl.