Beijing: Responding to US President Donald Trump’s tariff threat, China on Monday said the BRICS grouping was not seeking “confrontation.” The US President had threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on countries aligning with the bloc’s “anti-America” policies.
“Regarding the imposition of tariffs, China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, as quoted by AFP.
His latest threat follows the BRICS 2025 Summit in Brazil. At the summit, the BRICS member states condemned the US-Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities as “illegal.”
China also voiced strong opposition to the use of tariffs as a means of political coercion. The diplomat made the statement while she was responding to a question at a routine press briefing.
“.. We believe that BRICS is a positive force in the international community. Its cooperation is open and inclusive, and not targeted at any particular country. As for tariffs, we have consistently opposed tariff wars and trade wars. We are against using tariffs as a tool for coercion and pressure. Arbitrarily imposing tariffs does not serve the interests of any party,” Ning said.
BRICS Slams US-Israel Strikes On Iran
At the BRICS 2025 summit in Brazil, the bloc — comprising Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates — issued a joint statement condemning the US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
The joint declaration also criticised the “indiscriminate rising of tariffs”. But it didn’t cite the US directly. However, they mentioned that such actions could jeopardize global trade and destabilize international supply chains.
Apart from the Iran issue, the summit also addressed the war in Gaza. BRICS nations expressed concern over unilateral military actions. The group voiced the sentiments of the Global South. It stressed the need for peaceful solutions while criticizing the escalation of violence in the region.
The member countries also condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and urged action against the cross-border terrorism.
Trump says tariff letters ready as deadline nears
Meanwhile, Trump has announced that he has prepared tariff letters for 12 countries, which are “signed and ready.” According to reports, Trump said such letters would be issued on Monday at 12 PM EST.
This comes as the US approaches the end of a temporary pause on revised tariffs. On April 2, Trump had announced a sweeping hike in tariff rates for all US trading partners. This sparked a wave of diplomatic backlash and stalled trade negotiations. In response, the US administration granted a 90-day pause.
