ISTANBUL

Beijing on Monday pushed back on US President Donald Trump’s threats of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, stressing such moves were “not the right way” to deal in bilateral ties, state media reported.

“The US has continuously introduced a series of restrictive and sanction measures targeting China, which have seriously harmed China’s interests, and China firmly opposes these actions,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

Lin said: “Instead of engaging in self-reflection, the US has resorted to threats of higher tariffs, which is not the right way to deal with China," according to Beijing-based Global Times.

The remarks came after US President Donald Trump vowed Friday to impose new tariffs of 100% on Chinese goods and restrict the export of "critical software" from Nov. 1, after Beijing announced restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals.

However, in a turnabout on Sunday, Trump said that trade tensions with China will be resolved, posting a reassuring message days after threatening 100% tariffs.

"Don't worry about China, it will all be fine," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

China has expanded rare earth export restrictions, imposing limits on processing and manufacturing technologies and prohibiting cooperation with foreign companies without prior government authorization.

Lin said China has urged the US to “correct its wrongful actions as soon as possible and, guided by the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, address respective concerns through dialogue based on equality, mutual respect and reciprocity, properly manage differences, and safeguard the stable, sound and sustainable development of China-US relations.”

“If the US insists on going its own way, China will take firm and necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” Lin added.

China's Commerce Ministry on Sunday said it was “not afraid of” a trade war with the US after Trump's threats.