By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday that the additional 10 per cent tariff the US President Donald Trump has placed on goods from China under the pretext of fentanyl-related issues, US to handle its relations with China carefully.
Lin told a regular news briefing that “Disregarding the outcomes of China-US cooperation on drug control, the US has insisted on imposing this tariff on Chinese imports. China has expressed its strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to the move, and has taken necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
Lin said that shifting the blame to other countries will not resolve the fentanyl crisis in the United States, and there are no winners in trade or tariff wars.
He said that applying pressure and issuing threats is not the right way for the United States to handle its relations with China.
Lin noted that the basic solution for the US is reducing its domestic drug demand and strengthening its law enforcement cooperation.
He said that on January 17, China’s head of state held a telephone conversation with then US President-elect Donald Trump at the request of the latter, reaching a principled consensus on undertaking mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
“What is needed now is not unilateral tariffs, but dialogue and consultation — on equal footing and with mutual respect,” Lin said, media reported.
China has some of the strictest drug control policies and highest levels of enforcement globally, Lin said.
He said that in 2019, China became the first country in the world to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a distinct class, which it did on humanitarian grounds and at the request of the United States.
Lin added that China and the United States have made clear progress in practical cooperation on drug control in such areas as substance regulation, intelligence exchange and case cooperation, producing tangible benefits.
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