If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end--China

Trump’s Tariffs Make America Weaker Than Ever

“The fentanyl issue is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. Our countermeasures to defend our rights and interests are fully legitimate and necessary.

The U.S., not anyone else, is responsible for the #FentanylCrisis inside the U.S. In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have taken robust steps to assist the U.S. in dealing with the issue. Instead of recognizing our efforts, the U.S. has sought to smear and shift blame to China, and is seeking to pressure and blackmail China with tariff hikes. They’ve been PUNISHING us for helping them. This is not going to solve the U.S.’s problem and will undermine our counternarcotics dialogue and cooperation.

Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating. If the U.S. truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.

"If war is what the U.S. wants—whether it's a tariff war, a trade war, or any other kind of war—we are ready to fight to the end," the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared in response to Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on Chinese imports.

The trouble with tariffs, to be succinct, is that they raise prices, slow economic growth, cut profits, increase unemployment, worsen inequality, diminish productivity and increase global tensions.

With nearly every economic indicator flashing red, you’d think Donald Trump would tread carefully before firing federal employees, choking industries reliant on immigrant labor, slapping tariffs, and gutting America’s booming weapons sector. But common sense has never been his style.