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The former US president’s newest warning to enforce an additional complete levy on products from China has been labeled a “typical example” of United States’ contradictory behavior, per the Beijing administration.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry further commented that the nation could enact its own unspecified “retaliatory steps” if the US President executes his warning, emphasizing that the country was “unafraid” of a looming trade conflict.

Last Friday, Donald Trump retaliated at China’s decision to strengthen its policies for overseas sales of critical elements, alleging the Chinese leadership of “adopting a confrontational stance” and attempting to hold the global community “captive”.

He also vowed to withdraw from a planned summit with China’s President President Xi, which was set for a meeting in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks.

His statements on that day unsettled stock exchanges, with the benchmark US stock index falling by 2.7%, marking its biggest drop since last spring.

These statements renewed apprehensions of a trade war between the two economic giants.

This past spring, the both nations had consented to drop significant levies on each other’s products, which had created the possibility of bilateral trade stopping between the economic powers.

This left, US tariffs on Chinese goods subject to an extra thirty percent tariff compared with the year’s onset, while US goods entering China are subject to a ten percent duty.

China’s latest remarks – published by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of written responses to media inquiries – mirrored rhetoric from the height of the recent trade conflict.

Officials denounced United States controls on chips and semi-conductors while supporting China’s own restrictions on exports on key elements as “routine measures” to ensure national security and that of the global community.

Their representative remarked that for “an extended period”, the United States had “expanded the interpretation” of state security, abused export control measures and “enforced” unfair treatments against Beijing.

“Resorting to import duty warnings is not the proper method to deal with the Chinese government,” the spokesperson commented.

“The nation’s view” on a import duty dispute has always been consistent: we do not want one, but we are fearless of one.”

Recently, Beijing declared it was strengthening foreign shipment restrictions on key elements and additional substances critical for cutting-edge industry.

This move was regarded as a important measure, as the state refines about the vast majority of the global rare earth supply, which are employed in items such as solar panels and smartphones.

New remarks from Washington and Beijing are being seen by some as a means of strengthening positions in preparation for future trade talks.

Is not yet known whether a summit between the former president and China’s leader, expected at a high-level meeting in South Korea before month’s end, will go ahead.