Xi Jinping's 'self-isolation' message to Trump after trade deal, China says 'stop shifting blame' on fentanyl

In his first public remarks since a temporary truce over tariffs with the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken aim at "bullying" and "hegemonism" stating that there are no winners in trade wars.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian also said that China made it clear to the United States to "stop smearing and shifting blame" on the causes of its fentanyl crisis."Fentanyl is the United States' issue, it is not China's issue," Jian said.

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What the Chinese President said

Addressing a gathering of Latin American and Caribbean officials in Beijing, Jinping said that great changes unseen in a century are accelerating, which have “made unity and cooperation among nations indispensable,” CNN reported.

“There are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars. Bullying or hegemonism only leads to self-isolation,” he added.

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“In the face of seething undercurrents of geopolitical and bloc confrontation, and the surging tide of unilateralism and protectionism, China stands ready to join hands with our Latin American and Caribbean partners,” CNN quoted Jinping saying.

This comes a day after the US and China announced that they would strategically roll back drastic tariff measures against each other’s goods for an initial 90-day period.

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US-China Trade War

The meeting was the first face-to-face interaction between senior American and Chinese economic officials since Trump took office and launched a global tariff blitz that started with declaring a national emergency over the U.S. fentanyl crisis, imposing a new 20% tariff on Chinese goods in February.
Trump followed with a 34% "reciprocal" duty on Chinese imports in April, and subsequent rounds pushed the rates into triple digits, bringing nearly $600 billion in two-way trade to a standstill.

This development comes after Trump said on Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods "seems right," suggesting for the first time a specific reduction target.