China appeals to Washington to give up tariff plan

BEIJING – China’s Commerce Ministry has called on Washington to discard a tariff plan it warned might set off a chain reaction that could disrupt global trade and said Beijing will “fight to the end.”

A ministry spokesman, Gao Feng, gave no new details Thursday of how Beijing might respond to Trump’s proposed tariff hike on $60 billion of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology policy. But Gao repeated warnings that China would defend its interests.

At a regular news briefing, Gao said Trump’s tariff plans “may trigger a chain reaction” of import controls by other governments and harm global economic growth.

Gao said, “We hope the United States can rein in its horse before the edge of the cliff, or else we will fight to the end.”