China warns countries against making trade deals with the US unfavourable to Beijing

BEIJING, April 21: China on Monday warned other countries against making trade deals with the United States to China’s detriment.
Governments including those of Taiwan, Japan and South Korea have begun negotiations with Washington after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs against almost all of America’s trading partners on April 2. The import taxes were quickly paused against most countries after markets panicked, but he increased his already steep tariffs against China.
“China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement. “If this happens, China will never accept it and will resolutely take countermeasures in a reciprocal manner. China is determined and capable of safeguarding its own rights and interests.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this month the countries currently negotiating trade deals with the U.S. should “approach China as a group” together with Washington.
The U.S. tariffs against other countries are economic bullying, the ministry said in the statement attributed to an unnamed spokesperson. “Appeasement cannot bring peace, and compromise cannot win respect,” it added. “For one’s own temporary selfish interests, sacrificing the interests of others in exchange for so-called exemptions is like seeking the skin from a tiger. It will ultimately only fail on both ends and harm others without benefiting themselves.”
China said it’s open to talks with Washington but no meetings have been announced.
Trump made China the target of his steepest tariffs, imposing several rounds of tariffs totaling 145% duties on Chinese imports. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs of 125% on U.S. imports.
The tariffs have spooked exporters and stalled shipments, while threatening to drag on the global economy.
INDONESIA CHINA BOOST SECURITY COOPERATION
Indonesia and China said Monday they committed to maritime cooperation promoting safety and security in the South China Sea, amid longstanding Indonesian suspicions about China’s actions in waters controlled by Jakarta.
The sides agreed to cooperate in infrastructure building, minerals development and joint security, the last being the most significant because of Indonesia’s concerns over Chinese development near the Natuna island group in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety.
While neither side mentioned the islands directly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the officials agreed to further enhance their security cooperation in a comprehensive and sustainable way. Indonesia borders the strategic waterway through which an estimated $5 trillion in world trade passes annually, but it is not formally one of the six parties that share overlapping sovereign maritime claims with China. Such disputes have raised fears of a larger conflict that could put China and the US on a collision course.
Despite that, China’s southernmost territorial claim lies within Indonesia’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone, and Indonesian security patrols routinely drive off or seize Chinese fishing boats, fuelling tensions between the countries.
Meanwhile, officials in Jakarta are mulling over Beijing’s plans for the Natuna island chain, part of which lies inside China’s “nine-dash line,” which it uses to roughly demarcate its claim to most of the South China Sea.
Chinese coast guard ships have escorted fishing vessels – some of which have been confronted by the Indonesian coast guard – while Indonesia has increased the number of patrols and size of garrisons on the hundreds of scattered islands.
Last year, during a state visit by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the sides pledged to “joint maritime development” in the area, while having no effect on sovereignty claims, seemingly calming the situation somewhat. While that appeared to apply mainly to economic opportunities, Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun on Monday said the sides had also agreed to boost communication and stage joint counter-terrorism exercises later this year.
The South China Sea, especially its parts lying close to Indonesia, has at times become notorious for piracy in which ships are repainted, renamed and have their electronic identities altered in the countless ports and islands in the archipelago.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin largely echoed the Chinese sides’ comments, underscoring their joint desire to smooth over economic and security divisions.
Indonesia’s economic ties with China have flourished in recent years. China became Indonesia’s largest trading partner and plowed billions into major infrastructure projects such as the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and Cirata, Southeast Asia’s largest floating solar power project, on a reservoir in West Java, 130 kilometers from the capital, Jakarta.(PTI)