China pledges to fight trade war ‘to the end’ and hits back at Donald Trump’s ‘barbaric’ tariffs
- US president reacts to Beijing’s latest move by stepping up tariffs and lashing out at ‘enemy’ Xi Jinping in flurry of tweets
- Communist Party mouthpiece says country has the strength to continue and warns the will to defend its core interests is ‘indestructible’
China on Saturday said it would continue fighting the trade war with the US “until the end” after the two sides slapped further tariffs on each other’s goods.
The commerce ministry issued a statement calling on Washington not to “misjudge the situation and underestimate the determination of Chinese people” after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on Chinese imports. “The US should immediately stop its wrong action, or it will have to bear all consequences,” the statement said.
A sharply worded commentary by official mouthpiece People’s Daily meanwhile said China had the strength to continue the dispute and accused Washington of sacrificing the interests of its own people.
Published under the pseudonym “Wuyuehe”, the piece described the latest tariff measures by the US as “barbaric”.
The tariffs of up to 10 per cent cover energy and car components, in addition to soybeans, and the Communist Party newspaper said the measures would affect the US economy and financial system.