China Issues Tough Warning Over US Trade Deals: "Don’t Pick Sides!"

Beijing – China has lashed out at countries trying to cozy up to the United States for trade perks at the expense of Beijing. The warning follows reports that Donald Trump is urging US allies to curb ties with China in exchange for tariff relief.

“If you side with the US, expect consequences,” China’s Commerce Ministry said on Monday (April 21, 2025), warning of strong retaliatory steps.

Many countries are currently in talks with Washington to avoid steep “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by Trump, which had been paused for some 60 countries.

The Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump is using tariff talks as leverage to pull economic partners away from China. Beijing slammed this as a self-serving move that will backfire on countries that follow along.

President Xi Jinping recently toured Southeast Asia, calling for solidarity and rejecting unilateral pressure. In Vietnam, Xi wrote that “no one wins in a tariff war.”

The US hiked tariffs on most Chinese goods by up to 145%, and China fired back with 125% duties on American products.

A Lowy Institute analysis shows that in 2023, 70% of countries imported more from China than from the US. China is now the top trading partner for over 60 countries.

Experts say the global economy is too reliant on China to simply walk away. “Decoupling from China is nearly impossible,” said Alicia Garcia-Herrero of Natixis. “For many countries, the more Trump pushes, the more they’ll lean toward Beijing.”