According to the Chinese English website Global Times, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry (FM) on Monday stressed that BRICS focuses on openness and win-win cooperation and does not target any country, in response to a media question about US President Donald Trump's threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on BRICS countries for what he claimed to be "anti-American policies."
In social media post on Monday, Trump said that "any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," according to CNBC.
Asked to comment on the US president's claim and threat at a press briefing, Mao Ning, the FM spokesperson, said that the BRICS mechanism is an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries; it advocates openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation, and does not target any country.
Regarding the imposition of tariffs, China has repeatedly clarified its position that there are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, and that protectionism leads nowhere, Mao said.
When further asked what China will do if the US moves to impose additional tariffs on China, Mao said that "as for tariffs, we have always opposed tariff wars and trade wars, and opposed using tariffs as a tool of coercion and pressure. Imposing tariffs arbitrarily is not in the interests of any party."
The US' latest tariff threat shows its continued reliance on the belief that tariffs are an all-powerful tool, an approach that has been widely criticized for its potential to disrupt global economic cooperation, said Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
"Such protectionist policies are not only counterproductive but also contradict the global trend of economic integration," Zhou told the Global Times on Monday.
The 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 6 to 7 adopted the Rio de Janeiro Declaration, which stated that "we reject unilateral, punitive and discriminatory protectionist measures, that are not in line with international law… We also oppose unilateral protectionist measures, which deliberately disrupt the global supply and production chains and distort competition."
The declaration also voiced "serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort trade and violate WTO rules," warning that the "proliferation of trade-restrictive actions" threatens to disrupt the global economy and worsen the existing economic disparities.
Zhou said that the BRICS cooperation framework, built on shared interests and mutual respect, aims to promote inclusive and sustainable development. It has attracted growing interest from other developing nations, which see it as a platform to contribute to and benefit from global economic growth.
"The US appears to see the growing cooperation among BRICS countries as a threat to its dominance," Zhou said. "However, the BRICS mechanism is fundamentally about fostering cooperation among developing nations, especially major emerging market economies, to achieve mutual development and prosperity. It is not an exclusive bloc targeting any specific country.
