China accused the United States on Monday of using false accusations on trade to “intimidate” other countries, as the tariff battle between the global giants intensifies.
“The US shamelessly began to preach unilateralism, protectionism and economic hegemony, and also began to make false accusations against many countries and regions, in particular, China, intimidating other states through economic measures such as the imposition of duties and undertaking attempts to impose its own interests on Beijing by exerting extremely strong pressure,” China’s state council said in a white paper on its ongoing bilateral trade disputes with the US.
Washington has imposed tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and Beijing has responded with retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion in US imports.
“As a result, trade and economic tensions between the two sides have escalated in a short period of time, which has seriously damaged the trade and economic relations which were developed over the years through the joint work of the governments and peoples of the two countries. This has created a serious threat to the multilateral trading system and the principles of free trade,” Beijing’s white paper said.
On Saturday, Beijing decided to withdraw from trade talks with Washington, following recent sanctions that the United States imposed against the Chinese Defense Ministry and the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport in connection to deals for the purchase of Russian aircraft and S-400 missile systems.
Source: Agencies
