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Curbing trade with China to curry favor with the United States would be “selfish and shortsighted,” the government said, promising to retaliate.
April 21, 2025, 4:49 a.m. ET
The Chinese government on Monday warned other countries against curbing trade with China in order to win a reprieve from American tariffs, promising to retaliate against countries that do so.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it was responding to foreign media reports that President Trump’s administration was trying to pressure other countries on their trade with China as a negotiating tactic.
“Appeasement will not bring peace, and compromise will not earn respect,” the ministry said in a statement. “Seeking so-called exemptions by harming the interests of others for one’s own selfish and shortsighted gains is like negotiating with a tiger for its skin. In the end, it will only lead to a lose-lose situation.”
China “firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” it said, adding that China would “resolutely take countermeasures.”
The Trump administration has not officially said it would pressure countries to limit trade with China in return for relief from tariffs. But Mr. Trump has signaled that he is open to the idea. Last week on a Spanish-language Fox News program, the host asked Mr. Trump whether Latin American countries should be forced to choose between Chinese and American investment.
“Maybe, yeah, maybe,” Mr. Trump responded. “They should do that.”
The United States was the biggest single-country market for Chinese goods before the latest tariffs, but the Chinese government had been working for years to diversify its export markets, in part to hedge against rising tensions with Washington.
