Trump's statements on Friday as well as his threat to cancel a meeting with Xi later this month sent Wall Street stocks tumbling into negative territory as traders worried the trade war between Washington and Beijing could reignite.
"The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!" Trump said in Sunday's post on Truth Social, adding that "respected President Xi (Jinping)... doesn't want Depression for his country."
Trump on Friday said that he would impose the extra levies from November 1 in response to what he called "extraordinarily aggressive" new Chinese export curbs on the rare-earths industry.
Beijing, in turn, accused Washington of acting unfairly, with its Ministry of Commerce on Sunday calling Trump's tariff threat a "typical example of 'double standards.'"
The ministry said Washington had ratcheted up economic measures against Beijing since September.
"Threatening high tariffs at every turn is not the right approach to engaging with China," it said in an online statement.
Chinese goods currently face US tariffs of 30 percent under levies that Trump imposed while accusing Beijing of aiding in the fentanyl trade as well as unfair trade practices.
China's retaliatory tariffs are currently at 10 percent.
Rare earths have been a major sticking point in recent trade negotiations between the two superpowers.
They are critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military hardware and renewable energy technology but produced and processed almost exclusively by China.
'China isn't afraid': Beijingers shrug off Trump tariff threat
Beijing (AFP) Oct 11, 2025 -
Residents of China's capital city expressed indifference and defiance Saturday when asked by AFP about the latest threat by US President Donald Trump to impose blistering new tariffs on the country.
On Friday, Trump announced suddenly that the United States would slap additional 100 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports from November 1 "or sooner", also calling into question an upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping.
Chinese authorities have yet to publicly respond on the threat, which Trump said was in retaliation for Beijing's new export control measures in the strategic rare-earth sector.
The ministries of foreign affairs and commerce did not comment when asked about it by AFP on Saturday.
"I felt nothing when I first saw the news," said Liu Ming, a 48-year-old employee in a software company, outside a large Beijing shopping mall.
"Trump always has these childlike or capricious policies," said Liu.
"China isn't afraid of any US sanctions or policies aimed at limiting us. We have the confidence and ability to do better ourselves."
- 'Great commotion' -
Like others interviewed by AFP on the streets of Beijing on Saturday, Liu sees Trump as fickle.
"From the perspective of a Chinese person, he is a bit unreliable," he said.
"He always goes from this policy to that policy, causing great commotion in the world.
"It is not stable."
Irene Wang, an insurance worker in her thirties, echoed the sentiment.
"He says one thing today, but maybe after a nap he'll change his mind again," joked Wang.
"At his age (79), he should be a little more composed!"
She believes the sky-high tariffs Trump is threatening could backfire.
"For Americans, it could have an impact," she said, as tariffs on Chinese products could drive up prices in the United States.
As for the potential impact on people living in China, Wang acknowledged she couldn't completely ignore the news.
"Honestly, it isn't the first time, so we will have to wait and see how things play out."
- Hoping for 'normal' -
Some residents of the Chinese capital told AFP they expected only a moderate impact on their country's economy if the trade war with Washington escalates again.
"The import-export sector, especially those businesses, will inevitably be affected to some extent," said Jesicca Yu, 40.
But "for ordinary people in China, in the immediate future, I don't think much will change in their daily lives," she said.
Yu also bemoaned the tense relationship between Beijing and Washington.
"The more peaceful things are, the more economic development can take place," she said.
"We hope things go back to normal."
Lisa Liu, a colleague of Yu who is in her thirties, said she saw one good thing in Trump's unpredictable approach to governing.
"He gives us a lot to talk about at the dinner table," she said.
Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
