Recently a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce delivered one of Beijing’s clearest messages yet regarding US trade policy: “Willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China.” The statement, which addressed Washington’s latest tariff threats and China’s export control measures on rare earths, marked a significant escalation in rhetoric as trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies threaten to resurface.

The backdrop to this renewed dispute is a familiar one. In early October, the United States announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, batteries, and critical minerals, under the pretext of countering Beijing’s export restrictions on rare earths and related materials. These rare earth elements-essential for high-tech industries, renewable energy, and defense manufacturing-have long been a point of strategic contention. The US accused China of using them as leverage, while Beijing insists that its policies are legitimate, transparent, and designed to safeguard national security and prevent proliferation.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Washington’s latest actions represent a “serious violation” of both economic norms and the spirit of dialogue that had been rekindled in recent months. Since the China-US trade talks in Madrid in September, Beijing argues that the US has introduced a barrage of new restrictive measures-ranging from export controls on semiconductors and software to new port fees on Chinese vessels.

From Beijing’s perspective, these moves demonstrate that Washington is not genuinely interested in cooperation, but rather in coercion. “The difficulties currently facing China-US trade are entirely the responsibility of the US side,” the ministry’s statement read, emphasizing that China “does not want a trade war, but is not afraid to fight one.”

This position is consistent with China’s long-held approach to external pressure: a mix of strategic restraint and firm........

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