Diplomacy
China warns US: ‘Stop viewing relations with Cold War mentality’

The “we will fight if necessary” tension between Washington and Beijing is escalating. Following US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement, “Those who want peace must prepare for war,” indicating their “readiness” for war with China, a statement came from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, “There are no winners in war.”
After the US imposed an additional 10% tariff on China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated, “If what the US wants is war, whether it’s a tariff war, a trade war, or any other kind of war, we are ready to fight to the end.” This sharp statement from China caused surprise, and Hegseth’s comments followed.
In a statement made today by the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was emphasized that China is not in favor of war:
“The US must understand that China is NOT a reflection of the hegemonic US in the mirror. The US must stop looking at China-US relations with an outdated Cold War mentality. The US should no longer try to encircle or chase China in the name of strategic competition. No matter what kind of war it is, tariff war or trade war, cold war or hot war, it should not be fought, and there will be no winners.”
Immediately after US President Donald Trump’s 10% additional tariff on Chinese goods came into effect on Tuesday, Beijing announced its own retaliatory measures. China announced that it had increased import duties on a range of American agricultural and food products by 10%-15%. Beijing also placed twenty-five US firms under export and investment restrictions on national security grounds.
China’s latest retaliatory tariffs came after the extra 10% tariff threatened by US President Donald Trump last week came into effect at 05:01 AM Beijing time on March 4, leading to a cumulative 20% tariff. The Trump administration accused China of not taking action on illegal fentanyl in these latest tariffs.
Analysts believe that the mutual tariffs threaten to turn into a full-scale trade war between the two economic giants.