China vows to face agency in opposition to Trump’s 100% tariff menace

China signalled on Sunday (October 12, 2025) that it might not again down within the face of a 100% tariff menace from U.S. President Donald Trump, urging the U.S. to resolve variations by negotiations as a substitute of threats.

“China’s stance is constant,” the Commerce Ministry stated in an announcement posted on-line. “We don’t want a tariff battle however we aren’t afraid of 1.”

The response got here two days after Trump threatened to jack up the tax on imports from China by November 1 in response to new Chinese restrictions on the export of uncommon earths, a key ingredient for a lot of client and navy merchandise.

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The back-and-forth threatens to derail a doable assembly between Mr. Trump and Chinese chief Xi Jinping and finish a truce in a tariff battle, during which new tariffs from either side briefly topped 100% in April.

Mr. Trump has raised taxes on imports from many U.S. buying and selling companions this 12 months, looking for to win concessions in return for tariff reductions. China has been one of many few nations that hasn’t backed down, counting on its financial clout.

“Frequently resorting to the specter of excessive tariffs shouldn’t be the right method to get together with China,” the Commerce Ministry stated in its on-line publish, which was introduced as a sequence of solutions from an unnamed spokesperson to questions from unspecified media retailers.

The assertion referred to as for addressing any issues by dialogue.

“If the U.S. aspect obstinately insists on its follow, China will make sure you resolutely take corresponding measures to safeguard its respectable rights and pursuits,” the publish stated.

Both sides accuse the opposite of violating the spirit of the truce by imposing new restrictions on commerce.

Mr. Trump stated China is “changing into very hostile” and that it is holding the world captive by proscribing entry to uncommon earth metals and magnets.

China’s new laws require overseas firms to get particular approval to export gadgets that comprise even small traces of uncommon earths components sourced from China.

These essential minerals are wanted in a broad vary of merchandise, from jet engines, radar programs and electrical automobiles to client electronics together with laptops and telephones.

China accounts for practically 70 per cent of the world’s uncommon earths mining and controls roughly 90 per cent of worldwide uncommon earths processing. Access to the fabric is a key level of rivalry in commerce talks between Washington and Beijing.

The Ministry publish stated that export licenses could be granted for respectable civilian makes use of, noting that the minerals even have navy functions.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry publish stated that the U.S. has launched a number of new restrictions in current weeks, together with increasing the variety of Chinese firms topic to US export controls.

It additionally stated that the U.S. is ignoring Chinese issues by going ahead with new port charges on Chinese ships that take impact Tuesday. China introduced Friday that it might impose port charges on American ships in response.