The White House reiterated that US President Donald Trump has firmly stood against China, especially in the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated this on Wednesday after President Trump doubled all Chinese imports tariffs from 10 percent to 20 percent.
Leavitt echoed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's words, who stressed that the US is still fully capable of defending its interests. His remarks were in reaction to China's announcement that it is willing to fight in any type of conflict, economic or trade.
"He (Hegseth) explained that America will never fail to defend itself, particularly with the leadership of this President in the Oval Office. And that is certainly still the case, again, regarding tariffs," said the White House Press Secretary.
Emphasizing Trump's steadfast policies, Leavitt added that his strong stance against China is not something new.
"The President has been extremely hard on China, not only now with 20 percent and additional with the retaliatory tariffs that will take effect on April 2, but look at what he did during his first term. There were billions of dollars' worth of tariffs that he put on China, and it's really interesting that the last administration didn't roll back those tariffs because they understood the worth that they had in not only discouraging China, but also generating revenue here in the United States," she said.
A report by the New York Post previously said that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had established America's preparedness for possible war with China, days after Beijing threatened after the latest increase in Washington's tariffs.
"If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong," Hegseth was quoted by the New York Post.
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the US tariff decision with a strong statement.
"If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end," Lin said.
As reported by the New York Post, China immediately retaliated against the new US tariffs by issuing higher import duties of 10 to 15 percent on different American food and agricultural products.
Touching on other China issues, Leavitt also raised the matter of the Panama Canal.
"President was extremely vocal some weeks back about making sure that China is not dominating the Panama Canal. This is a very strategic location for the United States of America," she added.
She went on to underscore Trump's dedication to blocking Chinese influence in the area.
"President will see to it that the Chinese government, the CCP cannot be penetrated in the Western Hemisphere and absolutely not in the Panama Canal, which is a very significant location for our nation," Leavitt said.
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