China vows retaliation for latest US tariff threat

BEIJING (AP) – China’s government has criticized the latest U.S. threat of a tariff hike as “totally unacceptable” and vowed to retaliate in their escalating trade war.

The Commerce Ministry on Wednesday gave no details, but Beijing responded to last week’s U.S. tariff hike on $34 billion of imports from China by increasing its own duties on the same amount of American goods.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office announced a $200 billion list on Wednesday of Chinese goods for possible 10 percent tariffs including fish, apples and burglar alarms.

A Commerce Ministry statement said, “It is totally unacceptable for American side to publish a tariff list in a way that is accelerating and escalating.” It said, “the Chinese government will be forced to impose necessary countermeasures” to protect its “core interests.”