4/6/2018

CHINA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “China vowed strong retaliation if the U.S. imposes newly threatened tariffs on Chinese goods and ruled out engaging in negotiations while Washington is escalating the pressure on Beijing over trade. President Donald Trump’s announcement late Thursday [4-5-18] that he was considering penalties on an additional $100 billion in Chinese goods brought a vehement response from the government. At a hastily-arranged briefing with reporters Friday [4-6-18] night, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng described the U.S. move as ‘extremely wrong’ and acknowledged the two governments were now in a battle…Beijing’s apparent refusal to negotiate marks a new phase in weeks of rising tensions during which China largely reacted with measured calm to Trump administration moves and kept open the door for dialogue.”

-Lingling Wei, “China Set to Strike Back ‘Forcefully’ at Threatened New U.S. Tariffs,” The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2018 11:47 am