Beijing accuses Washington of “Double Standards” over new tariffs

Sunday 12 October 2025 - 07:30

By: Sahili Aya

Beijing accuses Washington of “Double Standards” over new tariffs

China has accused the United States of applying “double standards” after President Donald Trump announced an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods, set to be added to existing duties.

Trump justified this move as a response to what he described as China’s “extraordinarily aggressive trade posture,” following Beijing’s decision to impose stricter controls on the export of technologies related to rare earth elements — materials that are vital to many industrial sectors. These new tariffs are expected to take effect on or before November 1.

A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce denounced the U.S. decision as “a typical example of double standards,” warning that Washington’s actions “seriously harm China’s interests and undermine the atmosphere for economic and trade dialogue.”

The world’s largest producer of rare earths, China has been repeatedly accused by the U.S. of exploiting its dominant position. Beijing’s new export controls target technologies used in the extraction and production of these critical materials.

Donald Trump, calling the move “a real surprise,” said he now sees “no reason” to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month. Beijing, for its part, responded that “threatening high tariffs at every turn is not the right approach to cooperation.”