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Trump’s latest threat to enforce an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods has been described as a “prime illustration” of United States’ contradictory behavior, as stated by the China’s leadership.

A representative of the ministry additionally remarked that Beijing could introduce its own unspecified “responsive actions” if the American leader executes his pledge, emphasizing that the country was “not afraid” of a possible trade war.

This past Friday, Trump retaliated at China’s decision to tighten its rules for foreign shipments of critical elements, charging Beijing of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the world “hostage”.

He also vowed to withdraw from a scheduled talks with Chinese leader President Xi, which was arranged for a summit in Seoul in the coming weeks.

His statements on last Friday unsettled global markets, with the S&P 500 closing down 2.7%, marking its largest decline since April.

These statements reignited concerns of a trade conflict between the United States and China.

This past spring, the two sides had reached an agreement to eliminate triple-digit tariffs on each other’s imports, which had led to concerns of commerce ceasing between the two countries.

As a result, American import duties on Chinese imports incurring an extra import tax compared with the year’s onset, while items from the United States entering the Chinese market face a ten percent duty.

Beijing’s recent statements – published by the Commerce Ministry in the manner of written responses to media inquiries – reflected terminology from the height of the latest commercial tensions.

The remarks condemned US export restrictions on semiconductors and chips while defending the country’s own export controls on rare earth minerals as “normal actions” to protect domestic safety and that of the global community.

Their representative remarked that for “an extended period”, the US had “expanded the interpretation” of national security, abused export control measures and “enforced” biased policies against the Chinese nation.

“Resorting to import duty warnings is not the correct approach to deal with Beijing,” their representative stated.

“The nation’s view” on a trade conflict has remained unchanging: we are not seeking one, but we are not afraid of one.”

The previous week, Beijing declared it was reinforcing foreign shipment restrictions on rare earth minerals and further resources vital for cutting-edge industry.

The action was viewed as a significant step, as the country handles about 90% of the world’s rare earths, which are employed in items such as renewable energy components and mobile phones.

Latest statements from the US and China are being seen by analysts as a strategy of strengthening positions in preparation for future trade talks.

It is unclear whether a summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, scheduled at a conference in Seoul in the coming weeks, will take place as planned.