Trump Threatens Another $300 Billion in Tariffs on Chinese Goods

President Trump on Thursday threatened to impose additional tariffs on “at least” $300 billion in Chinese goods if Beijing refuses to acquiesce to his demands.

“Our talks with China, a lot of interesting things are happening. We’ll see what happens. . . . I could go up another at least $300 billion and I’ll do that at the right time,” Trump told reporters before boarding a plane to France for the D-Day commemoration. “But I think China wants to make a deal and I think Mexico wants to make a deal badly.”

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have continued to escalate since May, when Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25 percent after face-to-face negotiations broke down.

In response to Trump’s provocation, Beijing vowed to “fight to the end” to protect its interests.

“If the United States willfully decides to escalate tensions, we’ll fight to the end,” ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a regular news briefing. “China does not want to fight a trade war, but also is not afraid of one. If the United States willfully decides to escalate trade tensions, we’ll adopt necessary countermeasures and resolutely safeguard the interests of China and its people.”