By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – China on Sunday criticized the United States for what it called “double standards” after President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods in response to Beijing’s alleged rare earth export control measures.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that “The relevant US statement is a typical example of ‘double standards.”
Chinese Minister said these actions have “severely harmed China’s interests and seriously undermined the atmosphere of the economic and trade talks between the two countries.”
The commerce ministry said that Trump’s threat of tariffs at every turn is “not the right approach to engaging with China.”
Beijing had earlier defended its new export control measures on heavy rare earth magnets, describing them as a “legitimate” policy decision.
It emphasized that it remained open to dialogue with all countries.
The remarks came after President Trump announced plans to impose a 100 pc tariff on Chinese imports, cited Beijing’s reported letters to several countries informing them of impending export controls on rare earth elements.
Trump said he no longer saw a reason to proceed with a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea later this month in response to what he called an “unexpected” move by China.
He warned that the US also has monopoly positions that are “much stronger and more far-reaching than China”.
