MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Washington is dealing with blatant "economic bullying" and using weaponizes tariffs, Ambassador of China to Russia Zhang Hanhui said, commenting on threats of US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on BRICS countries.
"The US benefited a lot from free trade during a long period of time but now use tariffs as a bargaining cheap and a weapon, put forward exaggerated requirements and apply the strongest pressure on many countries, including BRICS members," the Ambassador said.
This is "a typical manifestation of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying, which grossly breaches WTO rules, undermines the multilateral trade system, seriously infringes on rights and interests of different countries and destabilizes the world economic order," Zhang noted.
The essence of trade is "in mutual complementarity of advantages and long-term cooperation based on the mutual benefit and the win-win situation for everyone, and not in short-sighted calculations - who is losing and who is profiteering," the Chinese Ambassador said. "Trade, furthermore, should not become a tool of hegemonism to pursue own interests," he stressed. "The Chinese side consistently opposes tariff and trade wars and stresses that protectionism has no future, while pressure, threats and blackmailing is not a proper way to solve problems," the diplomat added.