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New Delhi: China has strongly pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks demanding steep tariffs on Beijing over its energy ties with Russia. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, while addressing a press conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia, said that punitive measures would only make global problems worse rather than resolve them.
“China does not participate in or plan wars, and what China does is to encourage peace talks and promote political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue,” Wang Yi was quoted as saying by China Daily.
The Chinese minister made the comments after meeting Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon. He underlined that Beijing has consistently maintained “the best record on peace and security issues” and is committed to promoting multilateralism and strengthening mechanisms under the United Nations framework.
Wang also argued that the present international environment is dominated by conflicts and uncertainty, making it vital for China and Europe to cooperate. “China and Europe should be friends rather than rivals, and should cooperate rather than confront each other. Making the right choices amid the greatest changes in a century demonstrates the responsibilities that both sides should fulfill towards history and the people,” he said, according to Global Times.
The remarks followed Trump’s post on Truth Social where he urged NATO members to stop importing Russian oil and called for tariffs of 50–100% on China until the Ukraine war ends. Trump had earlier imposed a 50% tariff on India for continuing oil imports from Moscow. However, other nations such as China, Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia have not faced similar penalties despite their purchases of Russian crude.
Trump argued that NATO’s willingness to “win” the war had been “far less than 100%,” adding that continued oil trade with Russia “greatly weakens your negotiating position, and bargaining power.”
