China state media warn Trump against mutually destructive tariff war
SUMMARY
China’s state media dismissed President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threats as misguided, accusing him of scapegoating China for the U.S. fentanyl crisis. Trump announced plans to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, with some rates potentially exceeding 60%, citing China’s role in supplying chemical precursors for fentanyl. Chinese editorials, including in China Daily and the Global Times, criticized the move as counterproductive, arguing that the root causes of the U.S. drug crisis are domestic and warning against politicizing trade. The tariffs threaten China’s industrial exports, which exceed $400 billion annually to the U.S. Economists have begun lowering China’s economic growth forecasts, with S&P Global reducing its 2025 and 2026 projections to 4.1% and 3.8%, respectively, citing tariff impacts. Trump also proposed similar tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, aiming to curb drug trafficking and illegal migration.
