China rebuffs Trump’s NATO tariff proposal, calls for peace talks

www.mangaloretoday.com

Beijing, Sep 14, 2025: China has strongly countered US President Donald Trump’s proposal that NATO impose tariffs of 50–100% on Beijing, stressing that sanctions and confrontation will only worsen global conflicts.

Speaking at a press conference in Ljubljana on Saturday after meeting Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated that China remains committed to peace talks and political dialogue.

“Wars cannot solve problems, and sanctions will only complicate them,” Wang said, according to China Daily. “China does not participate in or plan wars. What China does is to encourage peace talks and promote political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue.”

He urged nations to uphold multilateralism, strengthen international mechanisms, and safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Wang also noted that today’s global situation is marked by “intertwined chaos and continuous conflicts,” adding that “China and Europe should be friends rather than rivals, and should cooperate rather than confront.”

Wang’s remarks came shortly after Trump, in a post on Truth Social, suggested that NATO impose steep tariffs on China until the war in Ukraine ends. “China has a strong control, and even grip, over Russia, and these powerful tariffs will break that grip,” Trump wrote.

The former US president has also accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of “conspiring against” Washington. His comments followed China’s largest-ever military parade on September 3, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.