US behaving like bully, firmly stand by India: Chinese envoy on tariffs

Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong on Wednesday accused the US of behaving like a “bully”, saying it was using tariffs as “bargaining chips” despite having long benefited from free trade. “China will firmly stand by India,” Xu said, describing the two countries as “double engines of economic growth in Asia”.

“The US has long benefited from free trade but now uses tariffs as bargaining chips to demand exorbitant prices from various countries,” he said, adding that China “firmly opposes the US-imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on India”.

“In the face of such acts, silence only emboldens the bully. China will firmly stand by India to uphold the multilateral trading system and fair global trade,” Xu said at an event.

The envoy said the international order was undergoing a major change, and India and China had the responsibility to lead in promoting “an equal and orderly multipolar world”.

On bilateral trade, Xu said Indian commodities were welcome in the Chinese market, stressing that the two sides should “enhance strategic mutual trust” and “avoid mutual suspicion”. “Both countries are partners, not rivals. We should manage differences through dialogue,” he added.

“We’ll welcome more Indian goods to enter the Chinese market. India has a competitive edge in IT, software and biomedicine, while China is seeing rapid expansion in electronic manufacturing, infrastructure construction and new energy,” Xu said. “If connected, the two major markets will produce an effect greater than the sum of their parts,” he added.

His remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to New Delhi. Modi is also expected to travel to China later this month for the SCO leaders’ summit.