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Donald Trump’s newest ultimatum to impose an additional 100% tariff on items imported from China has been called a “prime illustration” of US double standards, per the Beijing administration.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry additionally remarked that the nation could enact its own undisclosed “countermeasures” if the White House occupant follows through on his warning, adding that the country was “not afraid” of a looming trade war.

Last Friday, the former president hit back at China’s decision to tighten its regulations for foreign shipments of critical elements, accusing China of “adopting a confrontational stance” and attempting to hold the global community “hostage”.

Additionally, he threatened to pull out of a planned talks with Beijing’s head of state President Xi, which was expected to take place during a conference in Seoul later this month.

His statements on Friday shook stock exchanges, with the S&P 500 closing down nearly three percent, marking its biggest drop since earlier this year.

The president’s words reignited fears of a trade conflict between the US and China.

In May, the two sides had reached an agreement to remove triple-digit tariffs on each other’s products, which had created the possibility of bilateral trade stopping between the two nations.

This left, United States levies on products from China incurring an added thirty percent tariff compared with the year’s onset, while items from the United States entering China face a import levy.

The most recent comments from China – published by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of formal replies to media inquiries – echoed terminology from the height of the ongoing trade dispute.

Officials denounced United States controls on semiconductors and chips while defending the country’s own export controls on rare earth minerals as “standard procedures” to ensure domestic safety and that of every country.

Their representative remarked that for “many years”, the United States had “overstretched the concept of domestic safety, exploited foreign shipment regulations and “adopted discriminatory practices against the Chinese nation.

“Resorting to import duty warnings is not the proper method to engage with the Chinese government,” their representative said.

“Beijing’s stance” on a trade conflict has remained unchanging: we are not seeking one, but we are not afraid of one.”

Recently, the Chinese government revealed it was reinforcing foreign shipment restrictions on rare earth minerals and further resources critical for cutting-edge industry.

The action was viewed as a key move, as the state refines about ninety percent of the world’s rare earths, which are employed in items such as renewable energy components and handheld devices.

The recent comments from both governments are being seen by some as a means of bolstering negotiating stances ahead of upcoming negotiations.

Remains uncertain whether a summit between Trump and President Xi, scheduled at a summit in Seoul in the coming weeks, will take place as planned.