“Ready for Any Type of War”: China Responds to Trump’s Tariff Hikes

[Updated at 18:51]: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the US is “prepared” to go to war with China, following Beijing’s threats in response to President Trump’s steep new tariffs.

Speaking on Fox & Friends, as reported by the New York Post, Hegseth directly addressed China’s claim that it was “ready to fight” any “type of war,” saying, “We’re prepared.”

He emphasized the need for military strength, arguing that those who seek peace must be ready for war. Hegseth stated that the US was rebuilding its military and restoring deterrence to counter rising global threats. 

Hegseth warned that countries like China were rapidly modernizing their defense capabilities and seeking to challenge the US.

“We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries with very different ideology. They’re rapidly increasing their defense spending, modern technology, they want to supplant the United States,” he said.

“If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong,” Hegseth added.

On March 5, the Chinese Foreign Ministry (MFA) defiantly responded to the tariff hikes announced the previous day by US President Donald Trump.

In a tweet, the ministry called the reasons for raising tariffs on Chinese products, such as fentanyl, “far-fetched.” Beijing also described its countermeasures as “legitimate and necessary.”

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In its statement, the Chinese MFA emphasized its demand for a dialogue “on an equal footing” with the United States.

“Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating,” the statement reads.

Finally, in the concluding paragraph, the ministry stated that China was ready for “any type of war” with the United States.

“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,” the Foreign Ministry wrote.

There was no further explanation of this wording, but it took American netizens by surprise.

Trump had pledged to raise tariffs on Chinese imports from 10% to 20%, while also announcing 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. Canada’s response was swift – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Trump of seeking to annex his country, which, in fact, Trump occasionally threatens.