Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on Friday that China would “see it through to the end” if the United States continues its efforts to suppress the country, despite Beijing’s preference to avoid conflict with Washington. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Wang emphasised that China would firmly respond to any unilateral “bullying” measures but expressed hope that the US could work towards easing trade tensions.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Wang emphasised that China would firmly respond to any unilateral “bullying” measures but expressed hope that the US could work towards cooperation instead of confrontation.
Escalating tariffs and trade tensions
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods, despite previously describing a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “good.” In response, China introduced tariffs of up to 15% on certain US imports, reigniting concerns over a full-scale trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
In the weeks leading up to Trump’s inauguration, the Biden administration imposed further restrictions on advanced technology exports to China, aiming to prevent Chinese firms from developing high-tech semiconductors that could have military applications. Beijing described these restrictions as part of a broader effort to limit China’s technological advancement.
China’s resilience and technological growth
China has continued to develop despite facing challenges and will not be intimidated, Wang said at the Munich conference, which was attended by US Vice President JD Vance.
During his speech, Wang referenced several Chinese proverbs, including a line from the first chapter of the I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes: “The movement of Heaven is full of vigour. Thus, the gentleman makes himself strong and untiring.”
Smiling, he added, “These lines are difficult to translate—you can get DeepSeek to help.”
DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence application developed in China despite US restrictions on chip exports, is emerging as a potential competitor to leading American generative AI chatbots, including ChatGPT.
