China: ‘Capricious’ trade policies will hurt US workers

Chinese officials warned Thursday that President Trump’s steep tariffs against the country will ultimately harm American workers.

Reuters reported that Gao Feng, a spokesman for the Chinese Commerce Ministry, said the Trump administration’s trade policies will in the end be counterproductive for American interests.

“It is deeply regrettable that the U.S. has been capricious, escalated the tensions, and provoked a trade war,” Gao said. “The U.S. is accustomed to holding ‘big sticks’ for negotiations, but this approach does not apply to China.”

{mosads}He added that Beijing and Washington are expected to negotiate manufacturing and service industry issues in the near future. 

Gao’s comments come two days after President Trump directed his top trade official to identify $200 billion more worth of Chinese goods that will be subject to tariffs, escalating the ongoing trade dispute.

Trump said Monday that China’s decision to retaliate in kind against his first batch of $50 billion in tariffs required a U.S. response to encourage Beijing to change its unfair practices.

However, many lawmakers have expressed concerns that the tariffs will escalate into a trade war that will ultimately hurt American interests.

Trump has brushed aside concerns over a trade war, saying the U.S. can’t lose because it already has such a significant deficit.