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Trump’s newest ultimatum to impose an further 100% tariff on Chinese goods has been called a “classic case” of US double standards, according to the Beijing administration.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry also stated that China could implement its own unspecified “retaliatory steps” if the White House occupant follows through on his pledge, emphasizing that the country was “not afraid” of a potential trade war.

On Friday, Donald Trump retaliated at Beijing’s move to reinforce its rules for foreign shipments of rare earth minerals, accusing the Chinese leadership of “becoming very hostile” and attempting to hold the world “hostage”.

Additionally, he warned to pull out of a planned meeting with Beijing’s head of state Xi, which was set for a summit in Seoul in the coming weeks.

His statements on that day unsettled stock exchanges, with the benchmark US stock index dropping 2.7%, marking its steepest fall since earlier this year.

His comments reignited concerns of a trade war between the two economic giants.

This past spring, the two sides had agreed to drop significant levies on each other’s products, which had led to concerns of bilateral trade stopping between the economic powers.

Consequently, US tariffs on Chinese goods incurring an extra 30% levy compared with the beginning of 2025, while items from the United States entering the Chinese market face a ten percent duty.

Beijing’s recent statements – issued by the Commerce Ministry in the format of formal replies to press queries – mirrored terminology from the zenith of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned US export restrictions on chips and semi-conductors while defending China’s own restrictions on exports on rare earth minerals as “standard procedures” to protect national security and that of every country.

Their representative stated that for “a long time”, the United States had “expanded the interpretation” of national security, abused export control measures and “adopted unfair treatments against China.

“Turning to” import duty warnings is not the proper method to deal with China,” the official stated.

“China’s position on a trade conflict has remained steady: we do not want one, but we are not afraid of one.”

Recently, Beijing revealed it was reinforcing export controls on rare earth minerals and other materials essential to cutting-edge industry.

This move was regarded as a significant step, as the nation handles about the vast majority of the global rare earth supply, which are used in goods such as renewable energy components and handheld devices.

New remarks from Washington and Beijing are being viewed by analysts as a method of bolstering negotiating stances prior to future trade talks.

Remains uncertain whether a summit between Donald Trump and China’s leader, expected at a summit in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks, will still proceed.