Chinese foreign minister warns US against 'reckless' behavior amid escalating tariff war

ISTANBUL

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday issued a sharp rebuke to the United States over its escalating tariff policies, warning that Washington "cannot act recklessly" as the ongoing trade dispute rattles global markets.

“Given that the United States is wielding the tariff stick recently, it is blatantly putting its own interests above the common interests of all countries and ignoring the multilateral trading system and established rules,” Wang said during a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Wang called on the international community to take a firm stand, led by the United Nations, to defend the principle of sovereign equality and prevent the world from sliding into what he described as a "jungle world where the strong prey on the weak."

Wang said that China aims to not only to "safeguard" its own "legitimate rights and interests but also to protect the common interests of the international community."

China earlier raised tariffs on all US imports to 125% and said it will no longer “pay attention” to trade moves by the Trump administration.

US President Donald Trump has raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145%, claiming Beijing was “abusing” trade practices with the US.