Chinese President Xi Jinping strongly criticized the use of tariffs on Wednesday, warning that they weaken the multilateral trade system and destabilize the global economic order.
Speaking in Beijing during a conversation with Azerbaijan President Ilhem Aliyev, Xi claimed that trade war “weakens the legitimate rights and interests of all countries, hurts multilateral trade systems, and affects the world economic order.,
His remarks reported by the state news agency Xinhua comes amidst increasing tension between Beijing and Washington. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump implemented a 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports, which led to Swift vengeance from China, slapping 125 percent of the duty on American goods.
Beijing had earlier issued a Stark warning to other countries considering the trade agreements with the United States. A spokesman for China’s Commerce Ministry said on Monday, “China strongly opposed any party that reaches any party at the cost of China’s interests,” saying that “appeasement will not bring peace, and the agreement will not be respected.”
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday discussed the phone with his British and Austrian counterparts, a show from diplomatic outreach, urged the UK and the European Union to stand in defense of multilateral trade principles.
Despite increasing global stress, Xi highlighted the flexibility of China’s bilateral relations, given that the relationship with Azerbaijan has been “stronger despite the continuous international situation”.
