By Christopher Bodhine
Taiwan, Taiwan (AP) — China is reaching out to other countries to weigh more tariffs on what appears to be an attempt by the US to form a united front to force Washington to retreat. A few days after the effort, it meets only partial success with many countries that don’t want to alliance with the main targets of President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Faced with the craters of global markets, Trump said on Wednesday that he supported tariffs in most countries for 90 days, with the nation lined up to negotiate more favorable terms.
China refused to seek consultation by saying it would “fight until the end” in the tariff war, urging Trump to raise the tax rate on Chinese imports to 145%. It was originally announced as 125% on Wednesday, but did not include a 20% tariff on China related to its role in fentanyl production.
China retaliated with tariffs on 84% of US goods, which came into effect Thursday.
Trump’s move appears to have been trying to narrow what had been an unprecedented trade war between the United States and most of the world into a showdown between the United States and China.
“The justification is supported by many,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lyn Zian said during a daily briefing Thursday. “The United States will not win people’s support and will fail.”
China has so far focused on Europe, and “sends a positive message to the outside world” over a call between the Attorney General and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen.
“China is working with the EU to jointly implement important consensus reached by China and the EU leaders, strengthening communication and exchange, and deepening trade, investment and industrial cooperation between China and the EU.”
A video conference between China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentio and EU Trade Security Commissioner Maloszhuvchovich then discussed the US “mutual tariffs.”
The Wang said that tariffs “result infringe on the legitimate interests of all countries, seriously violate WTO rules, cause serious damage to the multilateral trading system based on the rules, and have a serious impact on the stability of the global economic order.”
“This is a typical act of one-sided, protectionism, economic bullying,” Wang was quoted as saying.
“China is willing to resolve differences through consultations and negotiations, but if the US insists in its own way, China will fight to the end,” Wang said.
The king also spoke with ten associations of Southeast Asian countries, but Li, the prime minister, met with business leaders. China has already done a full assessment, is ready to address all kinds of uncertainties, and will implement progressive policies according to the needs of the situation,” Xinhua said.
In Hong Kong, spokesmen from the local office of China’s Foreign Ministry have repeatedly been reluctant to negotiate with the US under current conditions.
“We must speak strictly to us. No bars who carry out tariffs that call on countries and seek mercy will ever hope for a call from China,” Huang Jingrui wrote in the OP-ED featured in the South China Morning Post.
If the US is truly loyal to launch a dialogue with China, it should “immediately correct the wrong practices and adopt the correct attitude of equality, respect and mutual interest,” Huang wrote.
Despite their misfortune with Washington, not all countries are interested in ties with China, particularly those with a history of conflict with Beijing.
“We speak for ourselves. Australia’s position is that free and fair dealing is a good thing,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “We are involved with all countries, but we stand on our own feet, facing Australia’s national interests.”
China imposed a series of formal and informal trade barriers on Australia in 2020 after the government angered Beijing for an independent investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic.
India also reportedly declined a call for China’s cooperation, and Russia, which is generally considered China’s closest geopolitical partner, has been completely ruled out of Trump’s tariffs. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Qia Lung said on Wednesday that his government is preparing for tariff consultations with the US.
The US has imposed a 32% tariff on imports from its close trading and security partner, Taiwan. Taiwan produces most of the high-performance computer chips that the US and others crave, and has long enjoyed its trade surplus with Washington.
However, Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia find themselves in certain boundaries. They benefited when factories moved from China to the country due to rising costs. They are hit by penalizing tariffs, but with few non-US buyers, they already operate at a thin margin of razors.
Trump previously thought of a suspension, but his tariff drama continues as the administration prepares to engage in national negotiations. Meanwhile, in countries where the bigger ones are suspended, tariffs will be 10%.
While it is not clear that China will take further action, Foreign Ministry Lynn said it would not allow China to “not let the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people be deprived, nor to undermine international trade rules and the multilateral trading system. Non-tariff options include banning American films, American law firms and other services.
Japan’s benchmark jumped over 9% as investors welcomed Trump’s decision, and global markets surged on Thursday, with Germany’s DAX first winning more than 8%. Paris’ CAC 40 reached 7,360.23 from 7.2%, up 7.5% at 21,141.53. The UK’s FTSE 100 has skyrocketed from 5.4% to 8,090.02.
However, US futures were lower and crude oil prices also fell. Chinese stocks earned a more milder profit. It gives yet another jump to the tariffs that each side is levied on each other’s exports.
The future of the S&P 500 fell by 0.4%, while the future of the Dow Jones Industrial Average is 0.2% lower.
Rod McGilk of Associated Press reporters was contributed to the report by Rod McGilk of Sydney and Kanis Leon of Hong Kong.
Original issue: April 10th, 2025, 1:15pm
