The president of the United States Donald Trump decided on Tuesday to raise tariffs to China In 50 percent, which, added to the previous increases, will cause the total rate of taxes on imports from the Asian country to reach a 104 percent from this Wednesday. The White House confirmed the action after increasing 34 percent tariffs that Beijing applied to Washington as countermeated.
“It was a mistake of China to retaliate against the president: when the United States receives a blow, he responds with more force. That is why from midnight, 104 percent tariffs against China will enter into force, “the government spokeswoman explained, Karoline Leavittin a press conference.
Hours before, Trump had said that Beijing wants an agreement on tariffs desperately, but considered that he does not know how to start negotiating and stressed that the White House was waiting for the call of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, a message that the spokeswoman repeated. “The president believes that Xi (Jinping) and China want to reach an agreement, they simply do not know how to start it. The president also wants him to tell everyone that if China makes an approach to reach an agreement, it will be incredibly generous, but that it will do what is best for the US people,” Leavitt added.
This extra game will be added to another 24 percent that Trump had announced a week ago. These volumes are in turn overlapping 20 percent of customs taxes with which the US government already taxes Chinese imports, so it considers insufficient efforts to avoid the entry of fentanyl into the North American country and another 10 percent that the United States activated last Saturday against all its commercial partners.
“Economic harassment in its purest state”
The spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Lin Jian He said Tuesday at a press conference that Washington’s actions do not reflect a genuine will to establish a serious dialogue. “If the United States really wants to dialogue, it should demonstrate an attitude of equality, respect and mutual benefit,” said Lin, who stressed that, if Trump’s government insists on a tariff war without taking into account the interests of both countries and the International community, “China will be prepared to fight until the end.”
The spokesman stressed that China’s sovereignty, security and interest interests are not negotiable and warned that his country will continue to take firm and forceful measures to protect their legitimate rights. “(What the United States does) is unilateralism, protectionism and economic harassment in its purest state”Jian said, in addition to insisting that there are no winners in a commercial war. “The Chinese people are not looking for problems, but neither does they fear them”he added.
Jorge E. MalenaDoctor of political Science and Director of the Asian Affairs Committee Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI), explained to Page/12 That the reaction of the Chinese government has been firm by imposing a 34 percent tariff on US imports, restrict the export of critical raw materials (such as rare earths and agricultural products) and submit a lawsuit against the United States before the world trade Organization (WTO), arguing that tariffs imposed by Trump violate multilateral trade standards.
“Given this battery of measures, it can be inferred that China’s reaction, in matters of rhetoric, rejects the ‘unilateral intimidation’ or ‘economic blackmail’ of the Trump administration. In addition, When opting for retaliation measures, Beijing shows that it is not dependent on trade with the United States or that it will modify its policies against external pressures “Malena said. “This position could also be designed based on internal policy, reflecting before Chinese citizens the firmness of the central government,” he added.
Malena indicated that beyond the economic reach, a commercial war between the United States and China would affect the increase in mutual distrust, the intensification of strategic rivalry, the effort to consolidate related regional or continental blocks, the decrease in cooperation in multilateral forums and the escalation of military tensions. “(I would also have an impact on the transformation of international narrative, before a United States that has ceased to be a free trade promoter and a China that would position itself as a benevolent power that promotes multilateralism, the non -alteration of commercial flows, etc.”, he added, in addition to saying that this panorama would result in the formation of a more fragmented and antagonistic international order.
Conversations between China and Europe
Precisely, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang held a telephone conversation with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. “Both believe that US tariff abuse has caused severe impact on international trade, and agreed to strengthen cooperations between China and Europe”said the Chinese ambassador to Colombia, Zhu Jingyang, en la red social X.
The European Commission executive indicated in a statement that Von der Leyen stressed the fundamental importance of stability and predictability for the world economy and urged Li to resolve the current situation through negotiations, emphasizing the need to avoid greater escalation. He also said that The European and China Union have the shared responsibility to support “a solid, renovated, free, fair and based on equitable conditions” system “.
The German democratian also stressed that China has a fundamental role to address possible commercial deviations caused by tariffs, especially in sectors already affected by global overcapacity. “The leaders discussed the creation of a mechanism to monitor possible commercial deviations and ensure that any evolution is properly attended” and highlighted “the urgency of finding structural solutions that allow to rebuild the bilateral commercial relationship and guarantee a better access of European companies, products and services to the Chinese market,” added the community executive.
About the Panama Canal
In parallel to this conversation, the US Secretary of Defense, Pete HegsethHe said his country will not allow China or another country to threaten the operation of the Panama Canal, while noting that there are Chinese companies controlling some ports. “Today, the Panama Canal faces constant threats. The United States will not allow communist China or any other country to threaten the functioning or integrity of the channel “the Pentagon leader declared in Panama during the inauguration of a dock for the Panamanian Aeronaval Police, located at the Pacific entrance of the Interoceanic route.
Hegseth arrived on Monday in Panama to meet with authorities and participate in a regional security conference, amid those tensions through the interoceanic channel after the intentions manifested by Donald Trump to recover it. The president has argued that the presence of a Hongkonese operator in two of the five ports located around the channel involve a Chinese control of the road, so that the US must have it again in their hands in pursuit of its national security. Even, he called Victory of his administration the announcement that the American asset manager Blackrock agreed with the Hongkonesa CK Hutchison the purchase of the two ports, a transaction that has been delayed by an investigation of the Chinese antimonopoolio entity and that companies have separated from political aspects.
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino has responded sustaining that the channel “is and will continue to be Panamanian” and has denied that China or any other country in the world influences its operation, which is in the hands of the autonomous authority of the Panama Canal.
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