Beijing has pushed back forcefully against U.S. President Donald Trump’s looming threat to slap a 100% tariff on Chinese imports beginning November 1, declaring it will “not back down” and urging Washington to resolve trade disputes via negotiation rather than coercion. In a statement released Sunday, China’s Commerce Ministry affirmed that while it does not seek a full-blown tariff war, it is ready to defend its national interests “resolutely” should aggressive U.S. measures proceed.
The tension stems from a recent Chinese decision to tighten export controls on rare earth minerals—vital to both civilian industries and defense technologies—a move that the U.S. interpreted as strategic leverage. Trump responded with a threat to double tariffs on all Chinese imports, citing what he called Beijing’s “hostile” posture and control over access to key inputs. China countered by stressing its dominance in rare earth processing (nearly 70 percent of global mining and 90 percent of refining) and rejecting hypocrisy or double standards in U.S. trade policy.
Officials in Beijing have cautioned that a failure by Washington to shift course would leave China with no choice but to implement countermeasures. Some analysts see China’s posture as calibrated: signaling firmness without immediately crossing into overt escalation, aiming to preserve some space for diplomacy. Others warn, however, that the spike in rhetoric and economic coercion could unravel the fragile truce that had been holding U.S.–China trade tensions in check.
