China Says It’s ‘Ready’ For Any ‘Type Of War’ With U.S. After Trump Doubles Tariffs

China responded after President Donald Trump imposed higher tariffs on the communist country on Tuesday, saying that it is “ready” for “any … type of war” and will “fight till the end.”

Trump doubled the tariffs on Chinese imports from 10% to 20% as 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico also went into effect Tuesday morning. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told The New York Times that Trump’s insistence that China do more to curb fentanyl trafficking into the United States “is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.”

“The U.S., not anyone else, is responsible for the fentanyl crisis inside the U.S. In the spirit of humanity and goodwill towards the American people, we have taken robust steps to assist the U.S. in dealing with the issue,” Lin said, adding, “If the U.S. truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit to address each other’s concerns.”

The communist government spokesman then warned that China was “ready” for war.

“If the U.S. has other agenda in mind and if war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Lin said. “We urge the U.S. to stop being domineering and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation at an early date.”

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning that while the United States “long[s] for peace,” it is “prepared” for a major conflict with China. “Those who long for peace must prepare for war,” he said.

“That’s why we’re rebuilding our military. That’s why we’re re-establishing deterrence in the warrior ethos. We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries with very different ideology,” Hegseth added.

China also responded to Trump’s move by slapping tariffs on American food imports and halting sales to 15 American companies, the Times reported. After confirming that tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico would go into effect earlier this week, Trump told reporters at the White House, “And just so you understand, vast amounts of fentanyl have poured into our country from Mexico, and as you know, also from China, where it goes to Mexico and goes to Canada.”

Trump has used the tariffs as leverage to pressure Canada and Mexico to send more resources to their borders with the United States and crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The president, however, seemingly believes that all three countries can do more to prevent fentanyl and other opioids from making their way across U.S. borders.

During his address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Trump said that “other countries have used tariffs against us for decades.”

“And now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries,” he added. “On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, Mexico and Canada — have you heard of them? And countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair.”