China-US summit hopes fade as Trump goes hard on tariffs, Taiwan, upending detente: analysts
Washington has changed its tune on Beijing, mistakenly believing that China will yield, observer says
In an interview in Moscow with state-controlled TV network Russia Today, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would take action if the US used fentanyl smuggling as an excuse to put tariffs on China.
If it really wanted to solve the fentanyl problem, “the US should abolish the unjustified tariffs and engage in consultations with China on an equal footing”, Wang said on Tuesday.
“America first” should not be American-style bullying and the US must not base its own interests on harming the legitimate rights and interests of other countries, he added.
Throughout his trip, which included stops in Tokyo, Manila, Hawaii and Guam, Hegseth stressed the need to “re-establish” deterrence against China in the disputed East and South China seas and near Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province that must be reunited one day, by force if necessary.