BEIJING, Feb. 23 — China on Monday urged the United States to cancel unilateral tariffs after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against key elements of former President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff policy.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said Beijing has consistently opposed unilateral tariff hikes and warned that trade wars produce no winners, according to Global Times.
The spokesperson said unilateral U.S. measures, including reciprocal and fentanyl-related tariffs, violated international trade rules and U.S. domestic law while failing to serve the interests of any party.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Trump lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose broad tariffs on imports from nearly all U.S. trading partners. The court said the law does not grant the president authority to levy tariffs.
In a 6–3 decision authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court held that the statute’s authorization to “regulate importation” does not extend to imposing taxes or duties.
“IEEPA’s grant of authority to ‘regulate … importation’ falls short. IEEPA contains no reference to tariffs or duties. The Government points to no statute in which Congress used the word ‘regulate’ to authorize taxation,” Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.
He added that the court was fulfilling its constitutional responsibility by determining that the law does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.
China’s Ministry of Commerce emphasized that cooperation between the United States and China benefits both countries, while confrontation harms both sides. The spokesperson urged Washington to eliminate unilateral tariffs imposed on trading partners.
The spokesperson also said China would closely monitor U.S. efforts to adopt alternative measures, such as trade investigations, aimed at maintaining tariffs.
Trump responded Saturday by announcing plans to raise a previously announced 10 percent global tariff to a “fully allowed and legally tested” level of 15 percent, saying his administration would determine and implement legally permissible tariffs in the coming months.
Meanwhile, a White House official confirmed that Trump is scheduled to visit China from March 31 to April 2.
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