China vows to fight US 'till the end' amid escalating trade war

Beijing says the United States is using the fentanyl issue as a “flimsy excuse” to raise tariffs on Chinese imports, vowing to fight “till the end” if Washington is hell-bent on waging a trade war.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing China of failing to stop the export of chemicals used in the production of opioid fentanyl.

“The fentanyl issue is a flimsy excuse to raise US tariffs on Chinese imports. Our countermeasures to defend our rights and interests are fully legitimate and necessary,” Lin said.

He went on to say that the US is responsible for the fentanyl crisis in the country, adding that China has taken “robust steps” to assist Washington in dealing with the issue.

Lin further noted that imposing tariffs is not going to solve the problem and will just undermine dialogue and cooperation, stressing that coercion and intimidation is not the right way of dealing with China.

The Chinese official also said, “If the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals."

“If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” he added.

China sets 5% growth target

Meanwhile, China has also set a target of “around 5%” growth for 2025, amid escalating American tariffs on its export-driven economy.

The target “underscores our resolve to meet difficulties head-on and strive hard to deliver,” Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official, said on Wednesday as he delivered the government work report at the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s rubber-stamp legislature.

Li further said that  “with the dedicated efforts of our people across the country, we can prevail over any difficulty in pursuing development.” 

“The giant ship of China’s economy will continue to cleave the waves and sail steadily toward the future," he added. 

On Tuesday, Trump imposed new 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with fresh duties on Chinese goods, sparking an international trade war. 

Trump puts tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, sparking trade war

The United States has sparked an international trade war with tariffs on nations both friend and foe.

The move came after Trump declared that the top three US trading partners had failed to do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the country.

He also said further tariffs would follow on April 2, including “reciprocal tariffs” and non-tariff actions aimed at balancing out years of trade imbalances.

"Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it's our turn," Trump said, citing high duties imposed on US goods by India, South Korea, the European Union, China and others.

Canada, Mexico impose retaliatory tariffs on US; China vows countermeasures

US President Donald Trump

Shortly after Trump’s latest tariffs took effect on Tuesday, China said that it was imposing its own broad tariffs on food imported from the United States and would essentially halt sales to 15 American companies.

Beijing retaliated with tariffs of up to 15% on a wide array of US farm exports.

Canada planned to put tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods.

Mexico also said it will impose retaliatory tariffs on US products that will be announced on Sunday.  

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