Amid negotiations with multiple countries and the United States to reach bilateral agreements for tariff exemptions, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued threatening messages to other nations. However, experts believe that given the dependency of various countries on the U.S. market, Beijing’s efforts may not yield the desired results. Almost simultaneously, U.S. President Trump emphasized in a social media post that the U.S. is serious about addressing the trade abuses of other countries.
Numerous American media outlets reported that the Trump administration plans to use trade negotiations with other countries to isolate Beijing. This includes urging countries to restrict trade with China and curb Beijing’s manufacturing goods transiting through third countries to reach the U.S., ensuring that Beijing cannot circumvent tariffs.
On Sunday evening in the U.S. East Coast (April 20th), Trump listed eight non-tariff barrier behaviors on social media.
On Monday (April 21st), the CCP warned countries not to enter into possible trade agreements with the U.S. A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that “China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests” and added that if such a situation occurs, China will “firmly” take corresponding countermeasures.
The U.S. has temporarily suspended implementing reciprocal tariffs on all countries except China for 90 days, as only the CCP has retaliated with aggressive tariff measures against the U.S.
Beijing is extremely concerned about the U.S. tariff containment policy because China maintains significant trade surpluses with most Western developed countries. The CCP fears that other countries will follow the U.S. in implementing defensive measures to protect their own markets.
For example, in the case of the European Union, facing the impact of the new U.S. tariffs, the EU has increased monitoring of import flows. While the EU is unhappy with the new tariffs imposed by the U.S., they are also unwilling to allow cheap Chinese goods redirected from the U.S. market to flood into Europe, especially in electronics and machinery equipment.
Trump has imposed a 145% tariff on most Chinese goods, and even higher new tariffs have been levied on Asian economies like Vietnam compared to the EU. Many Chinese products or goods transferred from China to other Asian countries may likely inundate the European market without barriers.
French President Macron has warned that the high tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Asian countries could lead them to transfer excess production capacity to Europe, potentially causing a “significant impact” on the industrial sector of the European continent.
In the past, countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, Indonesia, Argentina, the UK, and Chile have joined the U.S. and EU in launching anti-dumping investigations on various Chinese import goods.
In response to the recent U.S. tariff actions, the CCP has strengthened diplomatic contacts with Southeast Asia and Europe. Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia last week, aiming to build an “Asian family” to better manage the risks brought by Trump’s tariffs.
Beijing also held phone calls and meetings with Japan and South Korea to discuss advancing closer economic cooperation.
Despite these countries superficially accepting Beijing’s proactive outreach for diplomatic reasons, it seems unrealistic to persuade them to let go of their suspicions towards the CCP, given China’s long history of economic coercion and aggressive military behavior in the region, as reported by media outlets.
Elizabeth Economy, a senior research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, told CNN that despite Beijing’s attempts to portray itself as a stable economic force, its ambitions in the security realm remain unchanged.
Beijing’s statements come as more than sixty countries seek negotiations with the U.S. to reach trade tariff agreements and obtain tariff exemptions.
President Trump posted on the “Truth Social” website on Monday, saying, “Since we announced ‘Liberation Day’ on April 2nd, many world leaders and corporate executives have come to me asking for tariff reductions.”
“I am pleased to see that the world knows we are serious because we are truly serious about this! They must correct the behavior of abusing trade rules for decades, but it is not an easy task for them.”
He then released a post titled “Non-tariff Fraud.” This eight-item list includes currency manipulation, export subsidies, and intellectual property theft, all of which constitute unfair trade barriers that the President has criticized before. Additionally, the list includes protective agriculture and technological standards.
Bloomberg earlier reported, citing an insider, that senior economic advisors at the White House have been discussing requesting other countries to impose secondary tariffs on imported products from certain countries closely tied to China. Others mentioned that Washington also hopes its trading partners will not absorb surplus goods from China.
Reuters previously reported that Vietnam is preparing to crack down on cross-border shipments bound for the U.S. containing Chinese goods.
The U.S. and Japan began trade negotiations last week and are preparing for more talks. Taiwan stated that they had “very intensive” discussions on export controls. South Korea’s top trade official will visit Washington, D.C. this week to initiate negotiations.