BEIJING BRANDS TRUMP’S 100% TARIFF THREAT ‘HYPOCRITICAL’ AMID RARE EARTH STANDOFF

Sun 12 October 2025:

Beijing has vowed to hold its ground amid escalating trade tensions, calling on the United States to address bilateral disputes through dialogue rather than threats.

In a pointed rebuke, China labeled President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on Chinese imports as hypocritical, while staunchly justifying its own restrictions on exporting rare earth elements and related equipment to the US. Notably, Beijing refrained from announcing any fresh retaliatory tariffs on American goods, opting instead for a measured response in the ongoing economic standoff.

In a lengthy statement on Sunday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said its export controls on rare earths, which Trump had labelled “surprising” and “very hostile”, were introduced in response to a series of US measures since their trade talks held in Madrid, Spain, last month.

“China’s stance is consistent,” the ministry said in a statement posted online. “We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one.”

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Trump on Friday retaliated to the Chinese curbs on rare earth exports by announcing a 100 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the US and new export controls on critical software, effective from November 1.

Beijing cited Washington’s decision to blacklist Chinese firms and impose port fees on China-linked ships as examples of what it called “provocative and damaging” actions, calling Trump’s tariff threat a “typical example of double standards”.

“These actions have severely harmed China’s interests and undermined the atmosphere for bilateral economic and trade talks. China firmly opposes them,” the ministry said.

Unlike earlier rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs, China has not yet announced any countermeasures.

Rare earth elements, essential for producing everything from consumer electronics like smartphones and electric vehicles to advanced military systems and renewable energy innovations, continue to fuel friction in ongoing trade talks between the United States and China.

As the world’s leading producer and processor of these vital minerals, China intensified the standoff on Thursday by imposing fresh restrictions on exporting technologies key to mining and refining critical minerals.

The escalating dispute between the planet’s two biggest economies now threatens to scuttle a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in South Korea later this month—their first in-person meeting since Trump’s January return to the White House.

Global markets have felt the shockwaves, with major technology shares tumbling and firms dependent on China’s rare earth supply chain voicing growing alarm over potential disruptions.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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