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Trump’s most recent threat to enforce an extra 100% tariff on items imported from China has been labeled a “typical example” of American hypocrisy, per the Beijing administration.

A Commerce Ministry spokesperson also stated that Beijing could implement its own undisclosed “countermeasures” if the US President follows through on his pledge, noting that the country was “unafraid” of a potential trade war.

Last Friday, the former president retaliated at Beijing’s move to tighten its policies for exports of critical elements, accusing China of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the international market “captive”.

Additionally, he threatened to pull out of a scheduled summit with China’s President Xi Jinping, which was expected to take place during a summit in Seoul before the month ends.

The former president’s remarks on last Friday rattled stock exchanges, with the S&P 500 closing down nearly three percent, marking its largest decline since earlier this year.

These statements revived fears of a trade war between the United States and China.

Earlier this year, the two sides had consented to remove significant levies on each other’s products, which had led to concerns of bilateral trade stopping between the two nations.

Consequently, US tariffs on Chinese imports subject to an added import tax compared with the year’s onset, while US goods entering the Chinese market face a 10% tariff.

China’s latest remarks – released by the Ministry of Commerce in the format of formal replies to journalist’s questions – echoed language from the height of the latest commercial tensions.

Officials denounced United States controls on semiconductors and chips while supporting China’s own restrictions on exports on rare earths as “normal actions” to ensure domestic safety and that of every country.

Their representative remarked that for “many years”, the United States had “overstretched the concept of national security, abused export control measures and “enforced” biased policies against the Chinese nation.

“Resorting to tariff threats is not the right way to interact with the Chinese government,” their representative stated.

“Beijing’s stance” on a import duty dispute has consistently been steady: we wish to avoid one, but we are not afraid of one.”

Last week, the Chinese government revealed it was reinforcing foreign shipment restrictions on rare earth minerals and other materials essential to high-technology production.

This was seen as a important measure, as the state handles about ninety percent of the planet’s critical minerals, which are employed in goods such as solar panels and handheld devices.

Latest statements from the US and China are being viewed by some as a method of strengthening positions in preparation for forthcoming discussions.

Is not yet known whether a summit between Donald Trump and President Xi, scheduled at a conference in South Korea before month’s end, will go ahead.