Following a ruling by the US Supreme Court striking down most of Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff measures, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Monday stated that China has consistently opposed unilateral tariff hikes in any form, The Global Times reported.
Commenting on the ruling, China’s MOFCOM spokesperson said that the country has consistently opposed unilateral tariff increases in all forms and that there were no winners in a trade war, and protectionism leads nowhere.
The spokesperson added that the unilateral measures taken by the US, including the reciprocal and fentanyl-related tariffs, not only violate international trade and economic rules but also contravene US domestic law, failing to serve the interests of any party, The Global Times reported.
US Supreme Court on Friday ruled against Trump’s signature trade policy, noting that the US President lacked authority under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping import duties on goods from nearly all US trading partners.
In its verdict, the US Supreme Court held that the IEEPA does not grant the President the authority to levy tariffs.
The Bench of Nine Justices ruled 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the majority opinion. Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
“IEEPA’s grant of authority to ‘regulate . . . importation’ falls short. IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties. The Government points to no statute in which Congress used the word “regulate” to authorize taxation. And until now no President has read IEEPA to confer such power,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote in his opinion.
“We claim no special competence in matters of economics or foreign affairs. We claim only, as we must, the limited role assigned to us by Article III of the Constitution. Fulfilling that role, we hold that IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs,” he added.
Highlighting the benefits of cooperation, the spokesperson noted that repeated experience had shown that cooperation between China and the US benefits both sides while confrontation harms both and urged Washington to cancel all unilateral tariffs imposed on its trading partners.
“We have noted that the US is preparing to adopt alternative measures, such as trade investigations, in an attempt to maintain tariffs on its trading partners. China will closely monitor these developments and firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by the Global Times.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said that he is raising the 10 per cent worldwide tariff on countries announced following the Supreme Court verdict “to the fully allowed and legally tested 15 per cent level”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that during “the next short number of months”, his Administration will determine and issue the new and legally permissible Tariffs, which will continue “the extraordinarily successful process of Making America Great Again”.
Meanwhile, A White House official confirmed that Trump is set to visit China from March 31 to April 2.
