The Trump administration is working to calm the public after the Chinese Embassy in Washington said earlier this week that the land was ready to fight a business conflict or “any other type of war” with the United States.
” We’re prepared. Those who long for peace had plan for war”, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday on Fox News just days after the speech was posted. ” That’s why we are rebuilding our government. That’s why we’re reestablishing punishment, the warrior attitude because we live in a dangerous earth with strong, rising places with very different beliefs”.
White House press director Karoline Leavitt, on Wednesday evening, pointed again to Hegseth’s speech and acknowledged that President Donald Trump had been “very hard on China” when asked about the string.
The spitting came as Trump escalated his taxes on foreign enemies and allies. Trump slapped 10 % tariffs on Chinese imports in February, which doubled to 20 % this week. China responded with 15 % tariffs on farm imports coming from the U. S. and sent out a shocking social media post as Trump wrapped up his address to a joint session of Congress.
” If conflict is what the U. S. wants, be it a price war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re willing to fight till the end”, the ambassador said in a statement posted on March 4.
Trump mentioned China six days during Tuesday night’s conversation, all of which were in the context of business relationships and taxes.
” China’s average tariff on our goods is thrice what we charge them”, Trump said at one place, adding,” This program is not good to the United States and never was”.
He even bragged about the business actions he took against China during his first name, hailed Apple for building new plants in the U. S. “instead of in China”, and said the U. S. may be taking the Panama Canal up from China.
That obviously prompted the article on X, in which the Chinese Embassy repeated a speech attributed to official Lin Jian earlier in the day.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said after the statement that Trump is taking on the government’s foes and that the U. S. will never again down.
” This threat of war from China is really escalatory, but we shouldn’t get surprised”, Risch said in a speech to the Washington Examiner. ” This is how China responds when America finally pushes up on its challenges to our security and prosperity. I did continue to support the government’s challenging approach to China”.
National Security Council official Brian Hughes echoed Risch’s approach.
” The leader is ending war, not starting them”, Hughes said. ” He wants China to promote eliminating the morphine supply chain, which originates in China and kills thousands of Americans every month”.
China rejected claims that it is accountable for fentanyl in the U. S. and called for claims a” swab”.
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” The U. S., not anyone else, is responsible for the fentanyl crisis inside the U. S.”, Jian said. ” In the heart of humanity and kindness towards the American citizens, we have taken strong measures to help the U. S. in dealing with the issue. Instead of recognizing our work, the U. S. has sought to slander and change blame to China and is seeking to force and coercion China with tax excursions”.
The Chinese Embassy said the way to address the fentanyl concern would be to discuss with China and for the two countries to treat each other as peers, which is a petition that Trump is unlikely to satisfy.
