China warns it ‘won't capitulate’ to US tariff pressure
China has strongly rejected US allegations that Beijing has backtracked on all aspects of a bilateral trade deal, warning that it would not “capitulate to any pressure” as the two sides commenced make-or-break talks in Washington.
“The US has assigned a lot of labels, such as backtracking, going back on one's word, and so on. Lots of promises have been foisted on China,” said Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng Thursday.
His comments came a day after President Donald Trump accused China of reneging on the provisions of a draft trade accord the US considered settled and threatened to more than double punitive tariffs on the Asian country.
“They broke the deal. They can’t do that. So they’ll be paying,” Trump said at a rally in Panama City Beach, Florida, on Wednesday night.
He also warned that there was “nothing wrong with taking in 100 billion dollars a year” in duties on imports from China in the absence of a trade deal.
“The Chinese side has kept its promises and this has never changed,” Gao said.
The spokesman did not specify what kind of measures China would adopt but warned that it “has already prepared for all possible situations.”
“China will not capitulate to any pressure, and we have the determination and ability to defend our own interests,” he said.
Earlier in the day, China’s top trade negotiator Vice Prime Minister Liu He arrived in Washington for a two-day visit to sit at a bargaining table under a tense atmosphere as the two sides have been locked in a year-long trade standoff.
SS
