China hits back at Trump’s 100% tariff threats, rejects plotting or joining war with Russia

China slammed US President Donald Trump after he pressed Nato nations to impose as high as 100 per cent tariffs on countries that purchase oil from Russia. Trump’s remarks on the matter came after Russian drones infiltrated the Polish airspace, triggering Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

Responding to Trump’s calls, China said on Saturday that it neither plots nor participates in wars, in a stern and clear message to Washington. During his state visit to Slovenia, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi insisted that war cannot solve problems and sanctions only complicate the matter, Reuters reported.

Wang Yi’s remarks on the matter came just hours after US President Donald Trump urged Nato members to halt purchases of Russian oil and actively impose sanctions on those who do so. He also threatened to impose up to 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, since Moscow is the biggest buyer of Russian oil.

It is pertinent to note that the Trump administration has already imposed nearly 50 per cent of tariffs on Indian goods, complaining about New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.

Trump’s letter to Nato

In a so-called letter to Nato and ‘the world’, Trump exclaimed that it’s time to take stringent actions against Russia. “I am ready to impose major sanctions on Russia when all Nato nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all Nato Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA. As you know, Nato’s commitment to win has been far less than 100 per cent, and the purchase of Russian Oil, by some, has been shocking! It greatly weakens your negotiating position and bargaining power over Russia,” the American leader said in a long post on his social media platform TruthSocial.

The Potus went on to urge the Western alliance to act collectively and insisted that he is prepared to “go” once Nato members align with the sanctions. “Anyway, I am ready to ‘go’ when you are. Just say when?” he said.

Apart from this, the US have been urging G7 nations to also step up pressure on Russia by imposing tariffs on India and China. “Only with a unified effort that cuts off the revenues funding Putin’s war machine at the source will we be able to apply sufficient economic pressure to end the senseless killing,” US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent told the G7 Finance Ministers, according to the joint statement.

Interestingly, the Trump administration’s stance on the matter came a week after Wang Yi spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stressing the need for both economic giants to move forward together “without deviating from their courses or losing speed,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.