Beijing alleged on Friday ( Feb. 28 ) that the United States was “acting under [the president’s ] threat to impose an additional 10 % duty on imports from China,” citing the continued flow of fentanyl into the nation.
The start of Beijing’s annual parliamentary meet, a set-piece political event at which its 2025 economic priorities are anticipated, coincide with the new China tariffs, which include a 10 % increase from the previous ones, on February 4.
According to a normal presentation with the foreign ministry, Washington “used the methadone issue to rely on tariff pressure and blackmail.”
According to Lin,” It has caused a severe impact, stress, force, and danger to the dialogue and cooperation between the two sides in the field of drug control,” and he warned that the tariffs may fail.
He continued,” Amazing results have been obtained” from China’s anti-drug assistance with the US, claiming that China was the first nation in the world to formally regulate fentanyl-like materials.
Trump announced on Thursday that his proposed 25 % tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods would go into effect on Tuesday, as well as a 10 % increase in import taxes from China.
Beijing has less than a week to distribute countermeasures as a result of the news, which leaves Trump with only one week to go through. Trump’s administration also exhibits signs of a toughening stance toward its strategic rival despite backlash against the threat of up to 60 % of tariffs when he took office.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that China is “waging a reverse” Opium War over fentanyl in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, implying that Beijing may become “deliberately” flooding America with the artificial narcotic.
He made reference to the two 19th-century Opium War, in which China was forced to purchase large quantities of the medication and renounce portions of its place to imperial Western powers.
China’s business ministry before on Friday stated that its anti-drug policies were among the most stringent in the world and that new tariffs could have a negative impact on global supply chains.
The US’s tariffs are “merely shifting responsible and shirking responsibility,” the statement continued.
According to researchers, Beijing is also trying to reach an agreement with the Trump presidency.
The likelihood of a reconciliation between the nation’s leading two economies is fading, they continued, adding that trade talks have not yet begun and that the White House is showing signs it is getting ready for a wider financial coupling from China.
There has been a lot of movement, but it’s still unclear what the Trump government’s main objective is in regards to China, according to Christopher Beddor, assistant China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics.