China Warns Countries Against Signing Trade Deals with U.S. At Its Expense

Reuters

A truck carrying containers moves at the Yantian port in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China.

China on Monday, 21 April 2025, accused Washington of abusing tariffs and warned countries against striking a broader economic deal with the United States at its expense.

Beijing will firmly oppose any party striking a deal at China's expense and "will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner," China's Commerce Ministry said.

The ministry was reacting to a Bloomberg article that said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is getting ready to put pressure on countries that want tariff exemptions or reductions from the U.S. to stop doing business with China, including by enacting financial penalties, according to people familiar with the situation.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day visit to India on Monday as New Delhi looks to seal an early trade deal and stave off punishing US tariffs.

The two sides are expected to "review the progress" in relations" and "exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest", according to India's foreign ministry.

India and the United States are negotiating the first tranche of a trade deal, which New Delhi hopes to secure within the 90-day pause on tariffs announced by Trump this month.

"We are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties," India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters last week.

The broad tariffs that President Donald Trump announced on dozens of countries on April 2, 2025, with the exception of China, the world's second-largest economy, were halted.

In a series of actions, Beijing imposed retaliatory levies of 125% on U.S. goods after Washington increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. This effectively created trade embargoes between the two countries. China sent a hint last week that it will not raise its own rates further.




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