China Touts ‘Best Peace Record’ in Rebuke to Trump’s 100% Tariff Demand
China has issued a sharp response to US President Donald Trump’s call for NATO to impose tariffs of up to 100% on its goods over its purchases of Russian oil, asserting that it has the “best peace and security record” and “does not participate in or plan wars.” The statement came from Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a state visit to Slovenia, just ahead of a new round of trade talks between the US and China in Spain.
“War cannot solve problems, and sanctions will only complicate them,” Wang stated, as reported by the Global Times. “What China does is to encourage peace talks and promote political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue.” The remarks are a direct rebuke to Trump’s recent demand, made via his Truth Social platform, for NATO to levy punitive tariffs on China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine . Trump’s proposal also urged allies to halt their own purchases of Russian oil .
The call for tariffs on China followed a G7 meeting where the US encouraged allies to consider penalties for countries, including India and China, that continue to import Russian crude . The Trump administration has already imposed a 50% tariff on Indian goods for this reason, a move that has strained relations between Washington and New Delhi .
President Trump has aggressively pushed for using economic leverage to end the conflict in Ukraine, arguing that China holds significant influence over Russia . In his social media post, he claimed that “powerful Tariffs will break that grip” and that the war would end quickly if NATO followed his lead . However, Beijing has consistently rejected being drawn into the conflict and has criticized the use of unilateral sanctions.
