
A day after China retaliated with imposing $60 billion tariffs on US goods, the foreign ministry said it will remain calm and level-headed in the face of flip-flops and maximum pressure from the US side.
"China does not want to fight the trade war but it is not afraid to fight it. If someone attacks us on our doorstep, we will take them on and fight to the finish," China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
China had announced on Monday that is latest tariffs against US goods will come into effect from June 1 even as President Trump in a tweet had cautioned President Xi's government not to retaliate.
Trump in a tweet on Tuesday had said, "We have placed a 25 per cent tariff on “dumped” steel from China and other countries, adding that in one year tariffs have rebuilt our steel industry - it is booming!"
China buys MUCH less from us than we buy from them, by almost 500 Billion Dollars, so we are in a fantastic position. Make your product at home in the USA and there is no Tariff. You can also buy from a non-Tariffed country instead of China. Many companies are leaving China.....
Earlier on Monday, Trump had said China should not retaliate because "things could only get worse", however, just hours later China unveiled its new round of tariffs in a tit-for-tat move against the US which had imposed $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the midst of the trade war last week.
On Friday, Trump had issued orders for the tariff increase, asserting that China "broke the deal" by reneging on earlier commitments made during negotiations.
"We admonish the US side to take heed of the international community's reaction and calls from people from all walks of life, calculate the gains and losses of their own interests, have a clear understanding of the situation and return to the right track at an early date," China's foreign ministry spokesman said.
"We are determined and able to maintain our legitimate rights and interests," Shuang added.