China Warns It Won’t Back Down as Tariff War with US Escalates

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China “is not afraid of provocations, and it won’t back down.” (X.com)

We are Chinese. We are not afraid of provocations. We don’t back down, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Beijing: Amid the ongoing tariff war between China and the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China “is not afraid of provocations, and it won’t back down.”

Mao Ning shared a video of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong from 1953 during its war with the US. While sharing the video on X, Mao Ning stated, “We are Chinese. We are not afraid of provocations. We don’t back down.”

In the video posted on X, Zedong said, “As to how long this war will last, we are not the ones who can decide,” he says. “It used to depend on President Truman, and it will depend on President Eisenhower, or whoever becomes the next US president. It’s up to them.”

“No matter how long this war is going to last, we will never yield. We’ll fight until we completely triumph,” he added.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday April 9 , 2024 (local time) announced an immediate increase in tariffs on China to 125 per cent. The move by the US President came following a retaliatory move by China, where it increased its tariff on US goods from 34 per cent to 84 per cent starting April 10, 2025

China announced that it would increase its tariff on US goods from 34 per cent to 84 per cent starting April 10, as reported by Al Jazeera. The decision came after the US increased tariffs on China to a whopping 104 per cent.

Earlier on Sunday April 6, 2025 , Trump threatened an additional 50 per cent hike in tariffs on China following Beijing’s 34 per cent retaliatory tariff hike after the US President’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs during Liberation Day on April 2.

China decried the US tariffs imposed on the country as “groundless” and called them a unilateral bullying practice, as per a spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce.