Chinese Trade Minister Wang Wentao has warned that the ongoing imposition of tariffs by the US government could significantly harm developing nations and potentially lead to a “humanitarian crisis,” according to Bloomberg.
Wang made these remarks during a video call on Friday with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
He emphasized that China’s “decisive countermeasures” are designed to defend fairness and counter what he described as trade “bullying” by the US.
Wang also cautioned that the nations suffering most from the US tariffs are the world’s poorest.
Recently, the trade conflict between the US and China has escalated further.
Earlier this month, the US administration under President Donald Trump increased tariffs on Chinese imports, intensifying the already strained trade relations between the two countries.
Trump subsequently announced a 125% tariff on Chinese goods, citing China’s “lack of respect” in trade matters.
In addition, a 20% “fentanyl tariff” was introduced on certain imports, raising the total tariffs on Chinese products to 145%.
In response, China has now increased tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125%, effective today.