China says it is ready for ‘any type of war’ with US
BBC News, Beijing
ReutersChina warns the United States to prepare to fight “any type of war” after running contrary to President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade tariffs.
The world’s top two economies are getting closer to trade war after Trump Higher tax rates on all Chinese goods. China quickly retaliated against tariffs on U.S. agricultural products in a 10-15% revenge.
“If war is what the United States wants, whether it is a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we are ready to fight until the end,” the Chinese Embassy said on X.
It was the most powerful rhetoric away from China since Trump’s presidency, when leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual National People’s Congress.
On Wednesday, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang announced that China would increase its defense spending again 7.2% this year, warning that “changes that have not been seen in the world for a century are unfolding at a faster pace.” The increase is expected to match the figures announced last year.
Beijing’s leaders are trying to send a message to Chinese people that they are confident that the country’s economy can grow even when threatened by a trade war.
Contrary to the United States, China has been keen to portray the image of a stable, peaceful country, and the United States accuses Beijing of being involved in the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
China may also want to take advantage of Trump’s actions related to U.S. allies such as Canada and Mexico, which have also been hit by tariffs and do not want to raise speech too far to scare potential new global partners.
The Prime Minister stressed in his speech in Beijing on Tuesday that China will continue to open and hopes to attract more foreign investment.
In the past, China emphasized that it was ready to join the war. In October last year, President Xi Jinping called on troops to strengthen preparations for war when holding military exercises on Taiwan’s autonomous island. However, there is a difference between military preparation and preparation for war.
ReutersThe Washington Post’s Chinese Embassy quoted a statement from the previous day’s Foreign Ministry in English, which also accused the United States of blaming China for influx of drug fentanyl
“The fentanyl issue is a fragile excuse for raising U.S. import tax rates,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.
He added: “Intimidation will not scare us. Bullying is ineffective for us. Stress, coercion or threat is not the right way to deal with China.”
The relationship between the United States and China has always been one of the most controversial in the world. This article on X has been widely shared to use Chinese hawks in the Trump Cabinet as evidence that Beijing is Washington’s biggest foreign policy and economic threat.
Officials in Beijing have been hoping that he would invite Xi Jinping to inaugurate the inauguration after Trump-led China relations. Trump also said the two leaders made “a great phone call” just days before he entered the White House.
Reports say the two leaders will call again last month. That didn’t happen.
Xi Jinping is already fighting ongoing low consumption, property crisis and unemployment rates.
China has pledged to include billions of dollars into its sick economy, and its leaders have announced the plan as thousands of delegates attend the National People’s Congress, a rubber-attract parliament that has passed the decision that has been made after the shutdown.
China has the world’s second largest military budget, with a budget of US$24.5 billion, but far smaller than the United States. According to the Stockholm Institute for International Peace, Beijing uses 1.6% of its GDP to its military forces, far lower than the United States or Russia.
However, analysts believe that China has kept a low profile on its national defense spending.
Follow the twists and turns of Trump’s second presidency in the weekly American political communications of Anthony Zurcher.
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