As the United States rolled out a 100% additional tariff card against China in response to China's "rare earth export controls," the Chinese government said it would take corresponding measures.
A Spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said in a Q&A posted on its website on the 12th, "On the 9th, China announced export control measures on rare earths and other materials, which is a normal act of the Chinese government to improve its own export control system in accordance with laws and regulations," adding, "Brandishing high tariffs at the drop of a hat is not the right path to coexist with China."
The Spokesperson added, "China's position on the tariff war is consistent," and "We do not seek a fight, but we are not afraid of one either."
In response to a question about the recent U.S. move to raise tariffs to 100%, the Spokesperson said, "The U.S. statement is a typical double standard. For a long time, the United States has treated China discriminatorily and has unilaterally applied extraterritorial expansion of jurisdiction (extending a country's legal reach beyond its borders) to numerous products such as semiconductor equipment and semiconductors," adding, "The U.S. control list has more than 3,000 items, but China's export control list has only about 900."
The Spokesperson said, "China urges the United States to promptly correct its wrongful actions, use the agreement reached between the two heads of state in their call as a guide to safeguard the hard-won progress in negotiations, and continue to give play to the role of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism," adding, "If the United States insists on its own way, China will also resolutely take corresponding measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests."
Earlier, China halted imports of U.S. soybeans and announced plans to strengthen export controls on rare earth alloys. Then, on the 14th, it announced it would impose a "special port service fee" of 400 yuan (about 80,000 won) per net ton (t) on ships related to the United States. Net ton refers to the volume of space used for cargo or passenger transport.
In response, on the 10th, the United States announced it would add 100% to the existing tariff rate on China (an average of 55%) and control exports of key software. It also suggested it could cancel a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, which had been pursued on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Korea later this month.