Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. Photo: China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Responding to media inquiries for comment on US President Trump's claims on Friday local time that the US would impose a 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1 in response to China's export controls on rare earths and related items, and asking about whether China will impose new tariffs on US imports, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday that spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has already clarified China's position on this matter. Lin emphasized that in recent times, the US has continuously introduced a series of restrictive and sanction measures targeting China, which have seriously harmed China's interests, and China firmly opposes these actions.

Rather than reflecting on its own actions, the US is threatening with high tariffs, which is not the right way to get along with China, Lin said. 

China urges the US to promptly correct its wrong approach and, guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state during their phone talks, resolve respective concerns through dialogue on the basis of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity, properly manage differences, and maintain stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations, Lin noted. 

If the US insists on acting unilaterally, China will resolutely take corresponding measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the spokesperson noted. 

The MOFCOM on Sunday slammed the US' announcement that claimed Washington will impose 100 percent tariffs on China and impose export controls on all critical software, saying that willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China, while vowing to surely take resolute measures to protect the country's legitimate rights and interests if the US insists on going the wrong way.

Global Times