China is sending a stern message to countries across the globe that are cutting trade deals with the United States: Stop it or face retaliatory measures.
China’s Ministry of Commerce on Monday told its allies not to reach agreements that would come at the expense of the Chinese government.
China “firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” the ministry said in a statement Monday, vowing “countermeasures” if countries disobey.
China is attempting not to be left in the dust as it faces exclusionary American trade policies. In April, President Donald Trump lowered tariffs on goods from every country down to a baseline of 10%—except for China, which saw duties on imports from it rise to 125%.
In recent days, the Trump administration has been working to reach deals with dozens of nations. On Monday, Vice President JD Vance celebrated progress in reaching a trade deal with India.
In the same speech, Vance made an oblique criticism of China, saying, “Our administration seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and of shared national interests. We want to build relationships with our foreign partners who respect their workers, who don’t suppress their wages to boost exports, but respect the value of their labor.”
This week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with South Korea’s finance minister to discuss trade negotiations.
Now, China may be fearing that it will not have a seat at the table as the global economy is being drastically restructured.
But the Trump administration might be coming to the negotiating table with China soon.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Bessent said in a closed-door speech that, while negotiations with China would probably be a “slog,” he is hoping for a “big, beautiful rebalancing” of the two economies’ import-export relationship.
