A Chinese official said the U. S. is damaging global trade by using "extreme pressure and blackmail"
China on Thursday accused the United States of using bullying tactics and blackmail in threatening to impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese imports, ramping up criticism that the measures levied in the name of balancing trade would harm both countries’ companies and the world economy.
Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng said the U. S. was damaging the global trading order and that its methods would harm its own business interests as well as those of trading partners.
« We oppose the act of extreme pressure and blackmail by swinging the big stick of trade protectionism, » Gao told reporters at a news conference. « The U. S. is abusing the tariff methods and starting trade wars all around the world. »
U. S. President Donald Trump has ordered 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods in response to Beijing’s forced transfer of U. S. technology and alleged intellectual property theft, and threatened to impose duties on $400 billion more in Chinese products. All told, the scope of the tariffs would be equivalent to 90 percent of the goods that China shipped to the United States last year.
Trump’s order of 25 percent tariffs, which are set to take effect July 6, were quickly matched by Beijing on U.
