China invites European countries to form united front against Trump tariffs

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has accused Washington of weaponising tariffs, and urged Europe to join hands with Beijing to defend the multilateral trading system, in separate calls with the British and Austrian foreign ministers.

Speaking to Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Tuesday, Wang said the US had used tariffs “as a weapon to launch indiscriminate attacks on various countries”, violating World Trade Organization rules and harming the interests of other economies.

The practice “regresses state-to-state relations to the law of the jungle”, Wang said, adding that it was “a step backward in history, unpopular and unsustainable”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout.

“As a responsible nation, China stands up to stop this behaviour, not only to protect its own legitimate rights and interests but also to uphold international rules and safeguard the multilateral trading system,” he said.

“China will continue to adhere to a high level of opening up, carrying out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation with all countries, and share development opportunities with the world.”

Wang’s remarks echoed the message that was delivered last week by President Xi Jinping during his Southeast Asian tour, when he called for countries to stand up against protectionism in the face of US leader Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs”.

As governments scramble to respond to the changing trade arrangements, Beijing has been ramping up its efforts to win support amid rising frictions with Washington, which so far has imposed tariffs of 145 per cent on most goods arriving in the US from China.

South China Morning Post