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Trump’s latest threat to enforce an additional complete levy on items imported from China has been called a “classic case” of American hypocrisy, per the Beijing administration.

A Commerce Ministry spokesperson further commented that Beijing could enact its own unrevealed “countermeasures” if the White House occupant follows through on his warning, emphasizing that the country was “unafraid” of a possible trade war.

Last Friday, Donald Trump hit back at Beijing’s move to strengthen its policies for overseas sales of rare earth minerals, accusing Beijing of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the world “under its control”.

Additionally, he threatened to pull out of a scheduled talks with Chinese leader President Xi, which was expected to take place during a meeting in Seoul later this month.

The former president’s remarks on last Friday rattled stock exchanges, with the benchmark US stock index falling by nearly three percent, marking its largest decline since earlier this year.

These statements renewed concerns of a trade war between the United States and China.

Earlier this year, the both nations had reached an agreement to remove triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods, which had raised the prospect of trade halting between the two nations.

Consequently, US tariffs on Chinese imports incurring an additional import tax compared with the beginning of 2025, while items from the United States entering the country are subject to a import levy.

Beijing’s recent statements – published by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of written responses to media inquiries – mirrored language from the zenith of the recent trade conflict.

Officials denounced US export restrictions on semiconductors and chips while defending China’s own export controls on rare earths as “normal actions” to ensure domestic safety and that of the global community.

The official said that for “many years”, the US had “expanded the interpretation” of national security, abused foreign shipment regulations and “implemented” biased policies against Beijing.

“Resorting to trade levy ultimatums is not the proper method to interact with the Chinese government,” their representative stated.

“China’s position on a trade conflict has remained unchanging: we do not want one, but we are fearless of one.”

The previous week, Beijing revealed it was tightening overseas sale regulations on key elements and further resources vital for advanced tech manufacturing.

This was seen as a important measure, as the nation processes about ninety percent of the world’s rare earths, which are used in items such as renewable energy components and mobile phones.

The recent comments from both governments are being interpreted by observers as a method of strengthening positions prior to forthcoming discussions.

It is unclear whether a summit between Donald Trump and China’s leader, scheduled at a high-level meeting in South Korea in the coming weeks, will take place as planned.