Roving Periscope: Finding Trump softening, China hardens—against all nations!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Last week, US President Donald Trump appeared to soften when he said he was ready to discuss trade and tariff policies with China. As the Dragon typically does in such cases, China immediately hardened its stance and warned everyone against signing such deals with the US (Unless China does it first, that is!).
The media reported that Beijing, hiding its anxiety of being left out in the cold, said it is determined and capable of safeguarding its own rights and interests and is willing to strengthen solidarity with all parties.
According to reports, China has warned other countries (including India) against making a broader trade deal with the United States at Beijing’s expense, ratcheting up its rhetoric in a spiralling tariff war between the world’s two biggest economies.
Its warning came amid reports about the Trump administration’s plan to pressure nations seeking tariff negotiations from the US to curb trade with China. India is among the first countries seeking a trade and tariff deal with the US.
While US President Donald Trump slapped the rest of the world with a blanket 10 percent base tariff, China faces levies of up to 245 percent on many products. Beijing has also responded with duties of 125 percent on US goods.
The Trump administration has said that several countries are now engaged in negotiations with the United States to lower tariffs. But on Monday, China’s Commerce Ministry said it “firmly opposes” other countries making broader economic deals with America that compromise its interests.
“Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not be respected,” a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.
“To seek one’s own temporary selfish interests at the expense of others’ interests is to seek the skin of a tiger,” Beijing said.
That approach, it warned, “will ultimately fail on both ends and harm others.”
“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” the spokesperson said.
“If such a situation occurs, China will never accept it and will resolutely take reciprocal countermeasures.”
Beijing also slammed Washington for “abusing” tariffs on all trading partners under the “banner of so-called ‘equivalence’, while also forcing all parties to start so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ negotiations with them.”
President Trump’s tariff blitz has seen Washington and Beijing impose heavy duties on imports from each other, fanning a standoff between the economic superpowers that has sparked global recession fears and sent markets into a tailspin.
Recently, the Trump administration was reported to be preparing to pressure nations seeking tariff reductions or exemptions from the US to curb trade with China, including imposing monetary sanctions.
Trump has also said that the US was in talks with China on tariffs, adding that he was confident the world’s largest economies could make a deal to end the bitter trade war.
“Yeah, we’re talking to China…I would say they have reached out a number of times,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday last week.
“I think we’re going to make a very good deal with China.”
China has vowed to fight a trade war “to the end” and has not confirmed that it is in talks with Washington, though it has called for dialogue.
It has slammed what it claims “unilateralism and protectionism” by the US and warned about an international order reverting to the “law of the jungle.”
“Where the strong prey on the weak, all countries will become victims,” Beijing said on Monday.
Just days before Indian trade negotiators are due to visit the US on April 23 to advance trade deal discussions, China has cautioned countries against entering into trade agreements with the US at its expense. The warning coincides with US President JD Vance beginning his four-day visit to India on Monday.
