This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he will impose an additional 10% tariff on all products coming into the U.S. from China on his first day in office as penalties for deadly fentanyl and illegal immigrants, which he claimed were pouring across the borders.
Trump’s election victory sparked concern in China, where many expect the next president to take a tougher stand than his predecessor, particularly on trade and economic issues, with repercussions for an already struggling Chinese economy.
“This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular, fentanyl and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, vowing the additional tariff on all Chinese goods, many of which are already under import taxes imposed during the first Trump administration.
“I’ve had many talks about China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular fentanyl, being sent into the United States – but to no avail,” Trump wrote on Monday.
“Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this, but unfortunately, they never followed through.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, used in pain-relief drugs, that is 50% more powerful than heroin, leading to mass addiction and deaths through illegal drug use across the U.S.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday that Chinese officials had been cooperating with American counterparts to stem outflows of fentanyl precursors ever since last year’s summit between the U.S. and Chinese presidents.
That has included allowing American officials to “verify” actions taken in China, which has been praised by the White House, he noted.
“All these prove that the idea of China knowingly allowing fentanyl precursors to flow into the United States runs completely counter to facts and reality,” Liu said, adding that Beijing believed free trade between the two countries was “mutually beneficial in nature.”
“No one will win a trade war or a tariff war,” he said.
‘Many’ more tariff plans
In a separate post, Trump said his first of “many” executive orders on Jan. 20 would impose tariffs of 25% on all products from Mexico and Canada.
Trump is set to be inaugurated as president on Jan. 20.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long-simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” he wrote.
Trump’s posts came just days after he announced he would nominate financier Scott Bessent as his Treasury secretary. Bessent is considered to be pro-tariff and critical to implementing the Trump administration’s trade agenda.
Trump previously proposed an across-the-board 10-20% tariff on imports from all countries, and potentially “more than” 60% tariff on Chinese imports.
These tariffs aim to pressure China to change its trade practices, reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and boost American manufacturing. Trump believes tariffs protect U.S. industries by encouraging companies to relocate production to the U.S., restoring jobs lost to globalization.
He also suggested tariff revenue could fund his economic agenda, including making 2017 tax cuts permanent. His plan retains the US$80 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports imposed in 2018 and 2019, which the administration of President Joe Biden has not lifted.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi previously called the tariffs “hegemonism” bordering on “madness,” accusing the U.S. of pursuing unipolar dominance.
Beijing warned the tariffs could strain U.S.-China relations and hinted at restricting critical material exports, potentially harming U.S. industries.
After Trump’s win, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Biden that China was ready to cooperate with the incoming Trump administration to achieve a “smooth transition.”
