The Chinese government on Monday warned other countries against curbing trade with China in order to win a reprieve from American tariffs, promising to retaliate against countries that do so.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it was responding to foreign media reports that President Trump’s administration was trying to pressure other countries on their trade with China as a negotiating tactic.
“Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not earn respect,” the ministry said in a statement. “Seeking so-called exemptions by harming the interests of others for one’s own selfish and shortsighted gains is like negotiating with a tiger for its skin. In the end, it will only lead to a lose-lose situation.”
China “firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” it said, adding that China would “resolutely take countermeasures.”
The Trump administration has not officially said it would pressure countries to limit trade with China in return for relief from tariffs. But Mr. Trump has signaled that he is open to the idea. Last week on a Spanish-language Fox News program, the host asked Mr. Trump whether Latin American countries should be forced to choose between Chinese and American investment.
“Maybe, yeah, maybe,” Mr. Trump responded. “They should do that.”
The United States was the biggest single-country market for Chinese goods before the latest tariffs, but the Chinese government had been working for years to diversify its export markets, in part to hedge against rising tensions with Washington.
Since the latest escalation, China has been working furiously to shore up those ties with other countries, both to send a message that it will not be isolated, and to cast itself as a reliable alternative to an unpredictable America.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, hosted the prime minister of Spain earlier this month, and he toured several Southeast Asian countries last week. In Vietnam, Mr. Xi called on other countries to join with China in defending free trade and “an open and cooperative international environment.” In Malaysia, he urged the region to “reject decoupling, supply disruption” and “tariff abuse.”
Chinese state media on Monday also highlighted remarks from Britain’s top budget official who said that cutting ties with China would be “foolish.” And Chinese officials have been reaching out to officials from the European Union, Japan and South Korea.
At stake for China is not only its direct trade ties with other countries, but also a potential route for its goods to continue reaching the United States. Chinese manufacturers in recent years have built factories in countries like Vietnam and Mexico, enabling them to continue selling to the United States without the “Made in China” label. If those countries limit trade with China, those back doors would be endangered.
Already, there are signs that some countries may offer China-related concessions to the United States. Vietnamese officials have pledged to crack down on transshipment, a practice where goods are shipped through a third country with a lower tariff rate. American officials have accused China of transshipping through Vietnam.
Other countries have also stopped short of endorsing China’s calls to team up against the American tariffs. After a social media account affiliated with Chinese state media said China, Japan and South Korea had agreed on a joint response, a Korean official said the claim was “somewhat exaggerated.”
But countries are also wary of offending China. Vietnam, for example, has not explicitly mentioned China in its promises to crack down on trade fraud.
And even before the Commerce Ministry statement on Monday, China had made clear it would not shy away from harsher tactics, in addition to its diplomatic overtures. In March, China imposed tariffs of up to 100 percent on canola oil and canola meal, pork and other foods from Canada. The tariffs were ostensibly a response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese goods. But Chinese state media also said they were a warning to Canada not to make nice with Mr. Trump at China’s expense.
Siyi Zhao contributed research.
Vivian Wang is a China correspondent based in Beijing, where she writes about how the country’s global rise and ambitions are shaping the daily lives of its people.
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