China has responded to the United States’ threat to impose 100% tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil, reaffirming that its energy decisions are based on national interests.
“The Chinese government will take energy supply measures that are appropriate for the country, based on our national interests”, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. “China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests”, he added.
The statement came after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that China could face tariffs for continuing to purchase Russian oil.
Bessent made the comments during a press conference following the third round of U.S.–China trade negotiations, held in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 28–29.
The secretary was responding to a question about U.S. president Donald Trump’s announcement on Tuesday (29), saying he would shorten the deadline for Russia to present a peace agreement with Ukraine from 50 to “10 or 12” days. If Moscow fails to do so, Trump threatened to impose 100% secondary tariffs on Russia’s trade partners.
Trump made the statement while at his golf resort in Scotland, where he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
When asked if the secondary tariffs were discussed in Stockholm, Bessent said: “The Chinese take their sovereignty very seriously. We do not want to interfere in their sovereignty. So, if they want to pay 100% tariffs, they can pay”.
Talks are to continue despite lack of agreement
Before the Stockholm meetings, analysts widely expected the outcome to be a 90-day extension of the measures adopted during the first round of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 10–11. That agreement is set to expire on August 12.
However, no such resolution was reached. Li Chenggang, China’s vice minister of commerce and a member of the negotiating team, said both sides agreed to continue pushing “for the scheduled 90-day extension of the suspension of the U.S.’s 24% tariffs and China’s countermeasures.”
In the Geneva round, the United States cut its tariffs on China from 34% to 10% – in what Trump called “liberation day” – and Beijing reduced its retaliatory tariffs from 125% to 10%.
The 20% tariff on “fentanyl” was not included in that negotiation. For this reason, the effective reduction by the U.S. was 24%. During the Stockholm press conference, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Trump will be briefed on the discussions and will make the final decision on whether to extend the current agreement.
