In This Article:
(Bloomberg) -- Supply Lines is a daily newsletter that tracks global trade. Sign up here.
Most Read from Bloomberg
-
Trump Administration Plans to Eliminate Dozens of Housing Offices
-
NJ College to Merge With State School After Financial Stress
-
Republican Mayor Braces for Tariffs: ‘We Didn’t Budget for This’
-
NYC’s Finances Are Sinking With Gauge Falling to 11-Year Low
China’s top diplomat accused Donald Trump of taking a hypocritical approach to bilateral ties and denounced tariffs, as tensions rise between the world’s largest economies.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended his nation’s actions on stemming the flow of fentanyl to the US on Friday at a high-profile briefing, and accused the Republican leader of using the issue as a pretext to pressure his government.
“The US shouldn’t return good with evil or even impose arbitrary tariffs on Chinese products,” he said on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in the Chinese capital. “No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain good relations with China at the same time.”
“Such two-faced acts are not good for the stability of bilateral relations,” he added, seemingly calling out Trump for praising Xi as “brilliant” and touting their “great” relationship while imposing his most sweeping tariffs yet on the Asian nation.
Wang’s broadside against the US will add to uncertainty over the prospect of talks to broker a trade deal that would stop further hikes to duties that Trump this week raised again. Chinese officials have so far responded with targeted actions and measured rhetoric in contrast to the last trade war’s Wolf Warrior approach, but in the absence of dialogue frustration appears to be building.
“From Wang’s words, we could see that China perceives that the US doesn’t respect China,” said Zhu Junwei, a former researcher in the People’s Liberation Army who is now director of American research at Grandview Institution in Beijing.
Both governments have given no public indication that talks are forthcoming. While Trump signaled a desire to speak with Xi before his first wave of tariffs on China kicked in, the two men have yet to have a call since the US leader took office. China’s commerce chief said Thursday that he wrote to his US counterpart last month about opening lines of communication.
A slew of US trade actions in the coming weeks may yet raise the urgency for negotiation to prevent the trade war from spiraling.
But Beijing’s rhetoric signals it’s unwilling to accept talks linking fentanyl to tariff hikes, said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center.