'No Winners': China Accepts It's A US-China Trade War, Responds To Donald Trump's Tariffs

China warns the U.S. against tariff threats, vows to defend interests, and calls for talks based on equality amid rising trade tensions. China has warned the United States that there are no winners in a trade war  amid escalated trade tensions. China on Thursday also added that any attempt to exert pressure through tariffs will be met with firm resistance. Chinese officials said they are open to dialogue, but only if it is grounded in mutual respect and equality.

The response from China comes after Donald Trump imposed 125% tariffs on China, in a response to retaliatory tariffs of 84% imposed by China on the US. 
 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday, Lin Jian addressed the issue, asserting that China does not seek confrontation but will not hesitate to act if provoked. “The U.S. cause doesn’t win the support of the people and will end in failure,” Lin stated, emphasizing that China will not allow the legitimate rights and interests of its people to be compromised.

Echoing this sentiment, commerce ministry spokesperson He Yongqian declared that "pressure, threats and blackmail are not the right way to deal with China." He further warned that if the U.S. insists on imposing unilateral tariffs, China will “follow through to the end.”

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China’s Response

The Chinese foreign ministry further underscored its stance through a post on X (formerly Twitter) by spokesperson Mao Ning, who shared a video of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong delivering a 1953 wartime speech. “We are not afraid of provocations. We don’t back down,” Mao Ning captioned, drawing parallels to China’s defiance during the Korean War.
 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, while suggesting that a resolution with China is possible, said the U.S. is currently prioritizing trade talks with other nations such as Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea. He remarked, “China wants to make a deal. They just don't know how to go about it.”

In the meantime, Beijing has intensified its efforts to strengthen economic ties elsewhere. It confirmed ongoing talks with the European Union and Malaysia, although Australia—China’s largest trading partner—reportedly turned down a Chinese proposal to collaborate on resisting U.S. tariffs.