BEIJING (Reuters) – China warned on Friday it will “resolutely counter” pressure from the United States on the fentanyl issue, after Washington levied an additional 10% tariffs on Chinese imports this week.
“The abuse of fentanyl is an issue that the U.S. has to solve itself,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a briefing on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary meeting.
“If one side exerts pressure, China will resolutely counter that,” he said, adding that both countries still have “broad common interests and space for cooperation”.
“No country can imagine that it can suppress China on one hand while developing good relations with China on the other hand,” Wang added.
He said that the U.S. “should not repay kindness with grievances, let alone impose tariffs without reason,” referring to the “various assistance” Beijing has provided Washington over the years, without specifying what that assistance was.
Wang was also bullish U.S.-China tech competition, saying that “where there is a blockade, there is a breakthrough, and where there is suppression, there is innovation.”
On resolving the Ukraine war, China wants to achieve a “fair, lasting and binding peace agreement” acceptable to all parties, Wang Yi said.
“China is willing to cooperate with the international community in accordance with the wishes of relevant parties to achieve a final resolution of the crisis and lasting peace, and will continue to play a constructive role.”
(Reporting by Laurie Chen, Ryan Woo and Ethan Wang; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.)
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