Applying pressure is not the right way for the United States to handle its relations with China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday, referring to the additional 10 per cent tariff the US has placed on goods from China under the pretext of fentanyl-related issues.
Disregarding the outcome of cooperation between China and the United States in drug control, the US insisted to force this tariff on Chinese imports. China strongly expressed its dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to this move and took necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," Lin told a regular news briefing.
Lin said, "Shifting the blame to other countries won't solve the fentanyl crisis in the United States, and there are no winners in trade or tariff wars.".
The appropriate way for the United States in handling its relationships with China cannot be through mere application of pressures and threats according to him as the basic answer for the United States is merely reducing its drug demand at home and strengthening the cooperation of the law enforcement with each other.
Lin said that on January 17, China's head of state held a telephone conversation with then US President-elect Donald Trump at the latter's request, and the two reached a principled consensus on undertaking mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
"What is needed now is not unilateral tariffs, but dialogue and consultation — on equal footing and with mutual respect," Lin said, Xinhua news agency reported.
China has some of the strictest drug control policies and highest levels of enforcement in the world, Lin said.
In 2019, China became the first country in the world to officially schedule fentanyl-related substances as a distinct class, which it did on humanitarian grounds and at the request of the United States, he said.
According to the spokesperson, China and the United States have made clear progress in practical cooperation on drug control in such areas as substance regulation, intelligence exchange and case cooperation, producing tangible benefits in recent years.
