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Trump’s newest warning to impose an further complete levy on products from China has been called a “classic case” of United States’ contradictory behavior, according to the Beijing administration.

A representative of the ministry also stated that China could implement its own unspecified “responsive actions” if the American leader follows through on his pledge, noting that the country was “unafraid” of a possible commercial battle.

Last Friday, the former president retaliated at China’s decision to reinforce its regulations for foreign shipments of rare earths, charging China of “adopting a confrontational stance” and attempting to hold the world “under its control”.

Additionally, he vowed to pull out of a arranged meeting with Beijing’s head of state Xi, which was arranged for a conference in the Republic of Korea in the coming weeks.

His statements on last Friday unsettled stock exchanges, with the S&P 500 share index closing down 2.7%, marking its steepest fall since last spring.

The president’s words reignited apprehensions of a commercial dispute between the US and China.

In May, the respective governments had consented to remove significant levies on each other’s goods, which had raised the prospect of bilateral trade stopping between the economic powers.

This left, US tariffs on products from China incurring an additional thirty percent tariff compared with the start of the year, while American products entering the Chinese market face a import levy.

The most recent comments from China – published by the relevant government department in the format of official answers to press queries – reflected terminology from the height of the ongoing trade dispute.

They criticised American limits on exports on semiconductors and chips while justifying China’s own overseas sale regulations on key elements as “normal actions” to protect domestic safety and that of the global community.

The official said that for “many years”, the United States had “overstretched the concept of national security, misused foreign shipment regulations and “adopted discriminatory practices against the Chinese nation.

“Turning to” import duty warnings is not the correct approach to deal with the Chinese government,” the official commented.

“China’s position on a trade conflict has always been unchanging: we are not seeking one, but we are unafraid of one.”

Last week, China announced it was strengthening export controls on rare earth minerals and further resources critical for high-technology production.

This move was regarded as a significant step, as the country handles about ninety percent of the world’s rare earths, which are employed in goods such as photovoltaic modules and handheld devices.

The recent comments from the US and China are being viewed by observers as a strategy of enhancing bargaining power ahead of upcoming negotiations.

It is unclear whether a summit between Trump and China’s leader, scheduled at a high-level meeting in South Korea before month’s end, will still proceed.