‘We are not afraid to fight’: China fires back at Trump’s 100% tariffs

China on October 12 condemned the United States’ latest trade offensive as a “classic case of arbitrary double standards,” following President Donald Trump’s announcement of 100% tariffs on all Chinese imports and new restrictions on critical US-made software, set to take effect November 1.

In a sharply worded statement, China’s Commerce Ministry said the measures “severely harm China’s interests” and threaten the broader environment for bilateral economic dialogue. “China does not want to fight, but is not afraid to fight,” the ministry warned, signaling that countermeasures are imminent if Washington presses ahead.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social late October 10, framed the move as a response to what he described as Beijing’s “extraordinarily aggressive position on trade,” including China’s tightened export controls on rare earth minerals — vital to global tech manufacturing. “Starting November 1, the United States of America will impose a tariff of 100% on China, over and above any tariff that they are currently paying,” Trump said, calling China’s export restrictions “a moral disgrace.”

Analysts cautioned that the sweeping tariffs could ripple across industries, from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, already strained by previous trade measures. The announcement also casts uncertainty over a planned summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, which Trump has since threatened to cancel.

The Chinese ministry accused Washington of continually imposing new restrictions, adding Chinese companies to export control and sanctions lists, and expanding the scope of regulated entities arbitrarily. “Threatening to impose high tariffs at every turn is not the right way to engage with China,” it said, urging the US to “correct its erroneous practices” to preserve stable, sustainable trade relations.

As part of its defensive stance, Beijing announced plans to levy special port fees on US-linked vessels. The ministry made clear that if Washington continues its aggressive course, “China will resolutely take corresponding measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”