China opposes deals harming its interests

China firmly opposes any country entering into trade agreements with the United States that undermine Chinese interests in exchange for so-called tariff relief, the Ministry of Commerce said over the weekend.

If such a situation arises, China will not accept it and will take resolute countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday, responding to a media query about recent trade talks between the US and third-party economies.

The US has been pressuring its trade partners to accept "reciprocal tariffs" since April, the statement said, calling the move a typical example of unilateral bullying that undermines the multilateral trade system and disrupts the normal order of international trade.