China warns of 'law of jungle' after Trump's unilateral tariffs

China has warned the United States against slapping "tariffs without reason," noting that such unilateral measures could lead to a "law of the jungle" scenario. 

“The United States should not repay kindness with resentment, nor should it impose tariffs without reason,” said China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.

China’s top diplomat said countries should not operate on a “might is right” basis for this will severely damage the world order and usher in the law of the jungle.

Major powers should never engage in "bullying, market manipulation, or plunder" the resources of the weaker countries, he added.

"If every country emphasizes its own national priorities and believes only in strength and status, the world will regress to the law of the jungle, small and weak countries will bear the brunt, and international rules and order will be severely impacted."

Since resuming power as the US president in January, Trump has set out to consolidate US hegemony by devising new foreign policy measures, including slapping tariffs on its main business partners and acquiring Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada on the grounds of national security.

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"First and foremost, the foundation of sovereignty equality must be built on the equal will of the international community. We cannot allow the strong to dominate and decide everything based on their own power,” Wang pointed out.

On Monday, the White House said Trump had inked an order to increase a previously imposed 10 percent tariff on China to 20 percent.

Beijing's commerce ministry expressed opposition to Washington's decision on Tuesday, urging the US to "immediately withdraw" its unilateral tariff measures that are "unreasonable and groundless, harmful to others."

However, Trump in his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night claimed near-term pain would be needed. He insisted the long-term future is bright for the US. He even acknowledged that the new tariffs could cause harm to some groups. In his address, he pleaded to Americans to be patient, asking farmers who could be hurt by retaliatory tariffs to “bear with me.”

On Thursday, Trump went on to slam "globalists ... that have ripped off this country, our country, our beloved United States. And they're not going to be ripping us off any more. So, you know, I think that has an impact on the market."

Trump's comments came as indexes in the US stock market dropped in recent days as the fears of a global war of tariffs rise. 

In the meantime, Trump is scheduled to announce fresh US tariffs against the European and other countries on April 2 which brokers expect will cause new panic and increased market jitters.

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