China’s President Xi broke his silence on the U.S trade war mess, making it crystal clear: Beijing’s not begging, and definitely not blinking.
In his first public comments on the escalating U.S.-China trade war, President Xi Jinping declared that China is “not afraid” of any “unjust suppression,” as Beijing hiked tariffs on American goods to 125% in response to U.S. levies of 145%.
“For over 70 years, China’s development has relied on self-reliance and hard work — never on handouts from others, and it is not afraid of any unjust suppression,” Xi told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing.
China’s Commerce Ministry called U.S. tariffs “a numbers game, with no real economic significance,” adding they “merely further expose the US practice of weaponizing tariffs as a tool of bullying and coercion, turning itself into a joke.”
While China says it won’t raise tariffs beyond 125%, officials warned of alternative countermeasures if the U.S. “persists in substantively harming China’s interests.” Options include suspending fentanyl cooperation, banning U.S. poultry imports, and limiting market access for American services.
The dispute has tanked international markets and fueled recession fears. Trump recently granted a 90-day tariff pause to all countries except China, which Beijing described as “a symbolic and minor step.”
Xi emphasized that “regardless of how the external environment changes, China will remain confident.”
