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The former US president’s most recent threat to enforce an extra 100% tariff on products from China has been labeled a “classic case” of American hypocrisy, according to the China’s leadership.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry further commented that Beijing could introduce its own unspecified “countermeasures” if the White House occupant follows through on his warning, emphasizing that the country was “not afraid” of a possible commercial battle.

This past Friday, Donald Trump retaliated at the Chinese government’s action to reinforce its rules for overseas sales of rare earths, alleging the Chinese leadership of “becoming very hostile” and attempting to hold the world “under its control”.

He also vowed to cancel a scheduled talks with China’s President Xi, which was arranged for a summit in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks.

The former president’s remarks on Friday rattled global markets, with the benchmark US stock index closing down 2.7%, marking its largest decline since last spring.

The president’s words renewed concerns of a commercial dispute between the two economic giants.

This past spring, the respective governments had reached an agreement to drop significant levies on each other’s goods, which had raised the prospect of bilateral trade stopping between the two nations.

Consequently, American import duties on Chinese goods subject to an extra thirty percent tariff compared with the year’s onset, while items from the United States entering China are subject to a import levy.

The most recent comments from China – issued by the Ministry of Commerce in the format of formal replies to press queries – mirrored language from the height of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned American limits on exports on electronic components while defending China’s own export controls on rare earths as “normal actions” to protect national security and that of the global community.

Their representative stated that for “many years”, the United States had “overstretched the concept of domestic safety, abused foreign shipment regulations and “enforced” discriminatory practices against China.

“Resorting to import duty warnings is not the right way to deal with China,” the official commented.

“The nation’s view” on a tariff war has consistently been steady: we wish to avoid one, but we are not afraid of one.”

Recently, China revealed it was strengthening overseas sale regulations on key elements and other materials vital for high-technology production.

This move was regarded as a key move, as the nation refines about 90% of the planet’s critical minerals, which are employed in items such as renewable energy components and smartphones.

The recent comments from Washington and Beijing are being interpreted by observers as a strategy of bolstering negotiating stances ahead of future trade talks.

Remains uncertain whether a summit between Trump and President Xi, planned at a high-level meeting in South Korea before month’s end, will still proceed.