Azernews.Az

Nazrin Abdul

Read more

China has criticised the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on all countries engaged in cooperation with Iran.

As reported by Azernews, the Chinese Embassy in Washington expressed its stance through a statement by its spokesperson, Liu Pengyu, on the social media platform "X."

Liu also emphasised that China would take necessary actions to safeguard its interests, stating:

"Tariffs and trade wars do not have winners; coercion and pressure cannot resolve issues. Protectionism harms the interests of all parties. China firmly opposes any unilateral sanctions. The Chinese government will take all necessary measures to defend its legitimate rights and interests."

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that a 25% tariff would be imposed on all countries cooperating with Iran.

It is worth noting that China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001 marked a turning point, deepening economic ties. Bilateral trade expanded rapidly, making China America’s largest trading partner for many years. However, this economic interdependence also generated tensions, particularly over trade imbalances, intellectual property theft, market access restrictions, and state subsidies to Chinese firms.

By the mid-2010s, US policy shifted decisively toward strategic competition. The Trump administration labelled China a “strategic competitor,” launching a trade war that included tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese goods. While the Biden administration rolled back some rhetoric, it largely maintained tariffs and reinforced restrictions on advanced technology exports, particularly in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.