China says ‘ready to fight till the end’ with US on tariffs

By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - China Wednesday said that if US wants to “harm” its interests, then Beijing is “ready to fight till the end” on tariffs.

“If the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit to address each other’s concerns,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian at a news conference in Beijing, adding that “if the US has other agenda in mind and if harming China’s interests is what the US wants, we’re ready to fight till the end.”

Lin urged Washington to “stop being domineering, and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation at an early date.”

The spokesman also stated that the US is “bent on” using the fentanyl issue as a “flimsy excuse” to increase tariffs again on Chinese imports, adding that China already took “legitimate and necessary countermeasures.”

Beijing stressed that it was ready to “fight till the end” with the US on whether it be “a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war.”

China also announced on Tuesday that it will impose additional tariffs of 10-15% on certain US farm products in retaliation for US doubling the 10% tariff placed on Beijing to 20%.