Beijing will consider and announce "appropriate countermeasures" in response to the upcoming introduction of US tariffs on Chinese goods. Beijing will also file a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to protect China's rights and interests, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said early Sunday morning.
This is the first reaction to the tariffs announced yesterday by the White House against goods from Canada, China and Mexico. At this stage, there is no information on the specifics of these countermeasures and it is not clear whether they will take the form of counter-tariffs, Der Standard writes.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also rejected Trump's justification for the new tariffs, stating that "fentanyl is America's problem".
The statement also stated that "the Chinese side is in comprehensive cooperation in the fight against drugs together with the United States and has achieved remarkable results."
The other two countries - Canada and Mexico, directly affected by the decree signed by Trump, also reacted.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that she had instructed Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard to implement a plan to consider counter-tariffs.
Sheinbaum reacted indignantly to the White House's claim that her government was in league with drug cartels. At the same time, she suggested that US President Trump create a working group to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking. "Mexico does not want confrontation. We expect cooperation between neighboring countries," the left-wing president said.
Thanks to the USMCA free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada, almost no additional fees were previously due when exchanging goods between these countries. Trump signed the agreement himself during his first term, after canceling and renegotiating the previous agreement.
For his part, Canada will also impose a 25% tariff on US goods worth 155 billion Canadian dollars (106 billion US dollars). This was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a press conference in Ottawa. His government is also exploring additional measures, such as in the areas of key minerals, energy supplies and other partnerships with the United States.
Trudeau also urged Canadians to buy Canadian products and spend their holidays at home, not in the United States.
Canada will cooperate with Mexico, which is also affected by the US tariffs.
Trump's orders also include a paragraph stating that tariffs could be increased or extended if countries respond with retaliatory measures - such as counter-tariffs on US goods. Trump's order starts a trade war and the decision is likely to have serious consequences. The new US tariffs will take effect next Tuesday. Trump threatened tariffs during the election campaign, citing the US trade deficit as one of the reasons for this.
The US president also raised the prospect of such measures against the European Union, but he will probably decide on them at a later date.
US President Donald Trump has also threatened the BRICS countries with 100 percent tariffs on goods imported into the US if they create their own currency and refuse to use the US dollar in mutual payments.
To impose the tariffs, Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which gives him broad powers to combat the crisis. According to Trump, the tariffs are aimed at stopping the smuggling of the drug fentanyl into the US and the influx of illegal migrants.