WASHINGTON, February 2. /TASS/. China deplores and opposes the US tariffs on imports of Chinese goods, spokesperson for China’s embassy in the US told TASS, adding that Beijing will take necessary measures to protect its legal interests.
"The US has levied a 10% additional tariff on Chinese imports under the pretext of the fentanyl issue. China firmly deplores and opposes this move and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests," he said.
China is one of the world’s toughest countries on counternarcotics both in terms of policy and its implementation, the spokesperson noted. "Fentanyl is an issue for the US. <…> The US needs to view and solve its own fentanyl issue in an objective and rational way instead of threatening other countries with arbitrary tariff hikes. Additional tariffs are not constructive and bound to affect and harm the counternarcotics cooperation between the two sides in the future," he emphasized.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada (10% on Canadian energy), and a 10% additional tariff on China. The measures will come into force on February 4.