Trade war with US: Chinese media calls Trump’s additional tariff call ‘ridiculous’

Amid the escalating trade war with the US, the Chinese state media on Friday, April 6, said US President Donald Trump's threat of undertaking more trade sanctions against China was "ridiculous". It said so after Trump sought an additional $100 billion of tariffs on Chinese products, worsening an already tense situation over the dispute more.

Global Times, which is run by the ruling Communist Party of China's official People's Daily, said in an editorial that the latest intimidation showed the "deep arrogance of some American elites in their attitudes towards China".

On Thursday, April 5, the US president who has focused all his energy in 2018 to penalise China in an "unfair" trade relation asked his trade officials to consider additional tariffs on Chinese products worth $100 billion after already imposing steep tariffs on two occasions in March and April.

China also returned the 'favour' by imposing sanctions on US exports, escalating a trade war which has started sending a message of global repercussion.

The Chinese news publication said Trump went on with his decision caring little about whether the tariffs are actually executed or what could be their impact.

The Trump administration has targeted China for it alleges the latter of stealing its intellectual property and forcing the transfer of technology from the American firms.

"US is climbing tree to catch fish"

Earlier on Friday, the People's Daily also described the USA's action against China was akin to "climbing a tree to catch fish". It said by engaging in a trade war to reduce its trade deficit with Beijing, Washington was "compounding its mistakes".

Washington's attempts at reducing its trade deficit by engaging in a trade war were compounding its mistakes, it added.

"History and reality have repeatedly proved that economic globalisation has provided a strong impetus for the development of international trade and economics," the newspaper said. It also added that the United States was "one of the biggest beneficiaries" of this arrangement.

It also advised the US to increase its own exports instead of targeting Chinese imports.

A number of American firms, however, have not agreed to Trump's trade belligerence, saying it would harm its own people's interests in many ways.