China blames US for trade war

The Donald Trump administration is preaching economic hegemony and using trade tariffs to intimidate China, according to a new government policy paper released by Beijing on Monday.

By adopting the “America First” policy, the Trump administration has abandoned the “fundamental norms of mutual respect and equal consultation” in international relations, the white paper on the US-China trade war said.

The policy paper was released in Beijing as the US administration’s tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods — levied last week — kicked in, ramping up a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. China is poised to retaliate with tariffs on $60 billion in US goods.

Trump has said he will then retaliate with new duties on another $267 billion in Chinese imports. The new US duties cover nearly 6,000 items — including goods ranging from rice to handbags — making them the biggest round of trade tariffs from Washington.

The trade war, the white paper argued, was triggered because of the US administration’s wrong policies, which are against international relations.

“Rather, it (the US government) has brazenly preached unilateralism, protectionism and economic hegemony, making false accusations against many countries and regions, particularly China, intimidating other countries through economic measures such as imposing tariffs, and attempting to impose its own interests on China through extreme pressure,” the white paper said.

The US side, however, has been contradicting itself and constantly challenging China, the white paper said.

BEIJING: