‘Illegal, unilateral sanctions…’: China hits out at Donald Trump’s tariff threat for Russia’s allies; says ‘coercion will not…’
US President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threat for Russia’s allies has not gone down well with China, with the latter hitting out at America’s ‘coercion’ tactics. China has expressed strong disapproval on Tuesday regarding the United States’ pressure tactics, following President Donald Trump’s warning of “very severe” tariffs against Russia’s remaining trade partners if the Ukraine conflict remains unresolved within 50 days.“China firmly opposes all illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure will not solve problems,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian has said according to an AFP report.
Donald Trump’s Latest Tariff Threat
The US President Donald Trump has issued an ultimatum to Russia, demanding an end to the Ukraine conflict within 50 days, threatening substantial economic consequences. He outlined strategies to provide military support to Kyiv through NATO channels.Trump expressed strong disapproval of Vladimir Putin’s actions, indicating that his tolerance regarding the Russian leader’s unwillingness to resolve the ongoing conflict had reached its limit.Also Read | Move away from US: China exports emerge strong despite Donald Trump’s tariff chaos; is the record trade surplus sustainable?During his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump announced plans to implement severe trade restrictions. “We’re going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent,” he stated.The US leader further explained that additional tariffs would target nations maintaining trade relations with Russia, aiming to restrict Moscow’s capacity to withstand existing Western sanctions.China emerged as Russia’s primary trading partner in the previous year, with a substantial 34 percent share, whilst India, Turkey and Belarus followed with considerably smaller percentages, as reported by the Russian Federal Customs Service.Both US Senators, Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Richard Blumenthal, expressed their approval of Trump’s “powerful” warning to Russia. The two legislators, who are currently advocating for a cross-party legislation on secondary sanctions against Russia, commended the stance taken.Also Read | ‘Very fast pace….’: India-US trade deal talks pick momentum ahead of Trump’s deadline; Piyush Goyal shares important update
