China condemned US and UK trade agreement
According to the international economics section of Webangah News Agency, citing the Tasnim & Financial Times, China has sharply condemned the recent trade deal between the U.S. and UK—an agreement that may exclude Chinese goods from Britain’s supply chains and hinder London’s attempts to mend ties with Beijing.
The trade deal, signed by washington in recent days, imposes strict security requirements on Britain’s steel and pharmaceutical industries. It marks Donald Trump’s first such agreement since announcing “broad reciprocal tariffs” last month.
When questioned about the deal,Beijing emphasized that it is a “essential principle” that agreements between nations should not target third countries.
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry told the Financial Times: “Cooperation between governments must not harm or undermine the interests of third parties.”
The remarks place Britain in a difficult position between two economic superpowers and could further complicate its efforts to reassess relations with China.
Beijing had previously warned countries against signing U.S. trade deals threatening Chinese interests, fearing Trump might leverage bilateral negotiations with America’s partners to pressure them into excluding China from supply chains.
In response, China has accelerated efforts to remove foreign-made goods from its domestic supply chain to bolster resilience against disruptions caused by trade wars.
The U.S.-UK agreement includes reductions in certain punitive tariffs on British auto and steel exports but retains a 10% baseline tariff on UK goods. Tariff cuts for sectors like steel and autos are conditional on Britain swiftly acting to “secure essential supplies for America” and assume ownership of related production facilities.
A UK official stated Trump explicitly confirmed this clause targets China. An unnamed Chinese government advisor remarked: “China must respond; Britain should not have rushed into this deal.”
Thes developments follow Monday’s temporary 90-day truce in
the U.S.-China trade war—where washington reduced tariffs on chinese imports from an unprecedented 145% down temporarily around ~40%. If both sides agree halt fentanyl precursor shipments producers-to-U-S., rates may drop another ~20%, aligning closer levels imposed allies like UK.
Beijing also agreed Monday slash retaliatory duties American energy/agricultural products (from125%-to10%).
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