Chinese State Media: "US-China Trade Tensions Entirely the Fault of the United States"

As China tightens its export controls on rare earths and the United States responds by announcing a 100% tariff, signs are emerging that the US-China trade war may flare up again. In this context, Chinese state media have raised the argument that the United States is to blame.

On October 13, the Chinese state-run English-language outlet Global Times published an editorial titled "Only by Keeping Promises Can China-US Economic and Trade Relations Stabilize," asserting that "the current difficulties facing China-US trade are entirely the responsibility of the United States."

U.S. President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Global Times stated, "This incident originated from the United States threatening to impose a 100% tariff on China and to implement export controls on all key software, under the pretext of countering China's strengthened rare earth export restrictions." The editorial pointed out, "The unilateral actions by the United States have seriously damaged global market confidence and raised concerns that the two largest economies in the world could once again be drawn into a trade war."

The outlet further commented, "The economic and trade relationship between China and the United States in 2025 has proven, through a turbulent journey, the iron rule that cooperation benefits both countries while confrontation harms both." It added, "In this situation, any attempt to pressure or contain China's development is bound to fail."

The editorial continued, "Once again, China-US economic and trade relations stand at a crossroads. On one side is China, with a firm position, clear red lines, and a focus on the stability of the international trade order. On the other side is the United States, responding emotionally, lacking effective policy tools, and falling into double standards."

After China strengthened its rare earth export controls, President Donald Trump responded by announcing that a 100% additional tariff would be imposed on Chinese goods starting November 1. The two countries had previously waged a "tariff war" in April, imposing triple-digit ultra-high tariffs, but subsequently entered a temporary truce through high-level negotiations. However, concerns are now mounting that trade tensions could resurface due to these latest developments.

Nevertheless, as the markets were rattled by the tit-for-tat measures, both countries appear to have stepped back somewhat. With a summit between the two leaders scheduled during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju at the end of October, there remains room for dialogue.

On the same day, Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily published an editorial titled "The US-China Trade War Has Never Stopped, and the Science and Technology and Financial Wars Have Begun," criticizing President Trump's bluster and intimidation tactics.

This outlet commented, "China anticipated that Trump would use his old and outdated pressure tactics and responded preemptively with tough measures." It assessed that "Trump's threat to raise tariffs back to 100% is also part of these pressure tactics."

Hu Xijin, a prominent commentator and former editor-in-chief of the Chinese state-run Global Times, wrote on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of X) the previous day, "The escalation of the trade war with China only reveals that President Trump has no more tricks to use against China." He added, "Bringing up tariffs again, which have already proven ineffective, will only provoke resentment and dissatisfaction from all sectors of society."

However, some analysts point out that while China's rare earth export controls may serve as a bargaining chip against the United States in the short term, they could be detrimental to China in the long run. Liming Jiang, a professor at Nanyang Technological University's School of International Relations in Singapore, told Singapore's Chinese-language outlet Lianhe Zaobao, "The United States and its allies will spare no expense over the next few years to develop rare earth manufacturing and supply chains, aiming to solve this problem that currently leaves them at China's mercy."

He added, "In the long term, this measure could also deal a blow to China's rare earth industry," and noted, "There is a possibility that China's market share in the international market will decrease in the future."