"War to the end"/ China threatens the US

2025-10-15 09:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Beijing government will not back down in the trade conflict with the US, as it makes clear with its bellicose language. At the same time, the dispute is also extending to maritime transport.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced in Beijing that the People's Republic will maintain its stance in the "trade and tariff war" with the US: if it is necessary to "fight", they will do so to the end. However, the Chinese government remains open to negotiations.

The reason for these statements was the threat of US President Donald Trump, a few days ago, to impose an additional tariff of 100% on imports from China to the United States, starting from November 1. The People's Republic had previously announced new restrictions on the export of rare earth metals. These are important raw materials for industrial companies in many sectors around the world.

China is the world leader in the market for rare earth metals, which are used, for example, in smartphones, fuel cells, medical devices such as X-ray machines, LCD screens, batteries and motors.

The dispute over rare earths

On Sunday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Fox News that China had not informed the U.S. government about the new controls on rare earth exports. "When we learned about this from public sources, we asked the Chinese for a phone conversation, but they postponed it," he said.

China has taken this into account, according to the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing. The export controls are in accordance with the law and do not constitute an export ban.

However, companies have long complained that complicated application procedures take weeks and months, with no guarantee that approval will ultimately be granted.

Beijing also stated that the United States cannot, on the one hand, want to negotiate and, on the other, threaten new restrictions.

New front in the trade conflict: maritime transport

In addition, in the trade dispute between the two largest economies, China's announced port tariffs on American cargo ships went into effect. The special tariffs will apply to ships owned, operated, built or flying the American flag. At the same time, the Beijing government indicated that ships built in China and those docking only for repair purposes are exempt.

Starting Tuesday, the United States will also impose special tariffs on Chinese shipping companies, whose ships carry everything from Christmas toys to crude oil. Earlier this year, the Trump administration had already threatened to impose port fees on Chinese-owned cargo ships, as well as on Chinese-built or Chinese-flagged cargo ships. The goal was to reduce China’s dominance in the global shipping industry and boost shipbuilding in the United States.

Asian stock markets in free fall

Recent events have also spooked investors in Asian stock markets. After a long weekend, Tokyo's Nikkei index fell by almost 3% to 46,761 points. In China, stock markets also lost early gains. In Taiwan and South Korea, indices also entered negative territory./ DW