China vows to safeguard interests in response to U.S. tariff levies

In response to the United States' recent tariff levy against China, Beijing "will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate interests," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.

"China firmly opposes the U.S. once again using the fentanyl issue as an excuse to threaten to raise tariffs on Chinese products exported to the U.S.," he said.

In response to the U.S.' pressure on Mexico and Canada to match its tariff levies against China, Lin said, "As we have stated time and time again, there are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and blowing out other people's lights doesn't make oneself brighter."

He emphasized that all parties should abide by World Trade Organization rules and the principle of market economy, engage in consultations to address respective concerns through dialogues based on equality and mutual respect, and work together to deal with unilateralism and trade protectionism.