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The former US president’s newest ultimatum to introduce an extra complete levy on products from China has been labeled a “classic case” of American hypocrisy, according to the Chinese government.

A representative of the ministry also stated that China could enact its own unrevealed “countermeasures” if the White House occupant follows through on his threat, emphasizing that the country was “fearless” of a potential trade conflict.

This past Friday, Trump hit back at the Chinese government’s action to reinforce its policies for overseas sales of critical elements, accusing Beijing of “adopting a confrontational stance” and attempting to hold the world “captive”.

Additionally, he threatened to cancel a arranged summit with Chinese leader Xi, which was set for a conference in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks.

His statements on that day shook financial markets, with the S&P 500 share index falling by nearly three percent, marking its biggest drop since last spring.

The president’s words revived fears of a trade conflict between the United States and China.

This past spring, the two sides had agreed to drop triple-digit tariffs on each other’s products, which had created the possibility of bilateral trade stopping between the two nations.

As a result, US tariffs on Chinese imports facing an added thirty percent tariff compared with the beginning of 2025, while items from the United States entering the country incur a import levy.

Beijing’s recent statements – issued by the Commerce Ministry in the form of written responses to press queries – reflected language from the zenith of the latest commercial tensions.

Officials denounced US export restrictions on chips and semi-conductors while supporting Beijing’s restrictions on exports on key elements as “standard procedures” to ensure state interests and that of every country.

Their representative said that for “an extended period”, the America had “overstretched the concept of state security, exploited foreign shipment regulations and “implemented” unfair treatments against Beijing.

“Using” trade levy ultimatums is not the correct approach to engage with the Chinese government,” the official stated.

“China’s position on a trade conflict has remained steady: we wish to avoid one, but we are unafraid of one.”

Last week, China announced it was tightening export controls on rare earth minerals and other materials essential to high-technology production.

The action was viewed as a key move, as the nation refines about the vast majority of the world’s rare earths, which are employed in items such as photovoltaic modules and mobile phones.

The recent comments from Washington and Beijing are being interpreted by analysts as a method of strengthening positions ahead of future trade talks.

Is not yet known whether a talks between the former president and Xi Jinping, planned at a conference in South Korea before month’s end, will still proceed.