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Trump’s newest threat to impose an further full import duty on products from China has been called a “typical example” of United States’ contradictory behavior, per the Beijing administration.

A representative of the ministry further commented that China could implement its own unspecified “countermeasures” if the American leader follows through on his warning, noting that the country was “fearless” of a potential trade war.

Last Friday, Donald Trump hit back at the Chinese government’s action to reinforce its rules for foreign shipments of critical elements, accusing the Chinese leadership of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the international market “captive”.

He also vowed to cancel a arranged meeting with Beijing’s head of state Xi Jinping, which was set for a summit in South Korea in the coming weeks.

His statements on Friday rattled financial markets, with the benchmark US stock index closing down over two and a half percent, marking its largest decline since April.

The president’s words renewed fears of a trade war between the two economic giants.

This past spring, the both nations had agreed to eliminate triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods, which had led to concerns of trade halting between the economic powers.

This left, United States levies on Chinese imports facing an added 30% levy compared with the beginning of 2025, while US goods entering China are subject to a 10% tariff.

Beijing’s recent statements – released by the Ministry of Commerce in the format of official answers to press queries – reflected language from the zenith of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned United States controls on chips and semi-conductors while supporting China’s own overseas sale regulations on rare earths as “normal actions” to safeguard domestic safety and that of all nations.

The official said that for “many years”, the America had “overstretched the concept of state security, exploited overseas sale restrictions and “enforced” biased policies against the Chinese nation.

“Turning to” trade levy ultimatums is not the correct approach to engage with China,” their representative said.

“China’s position on a import duty dispute has remained consistent: we do not want one, but we are fearless of one.”

Recently, the Chinese government announced it was tightening overseas sale regulations on key elements and other materials critical for advanced tech manufacturing.

This was seen as a key move, as the country processes about 90% of the world’s rare earths, which are utilized in items such as solar panels and mobile phones.

Latest statements from the US and China are being viewed by analysts as a means of enhancing bargaining power prior to forthcoming discussions.

Is not yet known whether a meeting between Donald Trump and President Xi, scheduled at a high-level meeting in the Republic of Korea later this month, will go ahead.