China vows retaliation as US sets 100% tariff on Chinese imports

China warned it would take retaliatory measures after U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week that Washington would impose a new 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports and introduce export controls on critical software, actions scheduled to begin November 1. The comments came amid Beijing’s move to tighten export controls on rare earths, a strategic group of minerals for which China supplies a large share of the global market, and have raised the prospect of a renewed, broader trade confrontation between the world’s two largest economies.

The sequence of announcements began with the U.S. president’s public post last Friday outlining the tariff and export-control plans. Beijing responded through the foreign ministry and commerce ministry, with officials saying the United States has chosen punitive measures rather than addressing underlying disputes. A commerce ministry spokesperson said, “If you wish to fight, we shall fight to the end; if you wish to negotiate, our door remains open.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China would “resolutely take retaliatory measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” if the United States persisted.