BEIJING: China signaled on Sunday that it would not back down in the face of a 100% tariff threat from President Donald Trump, urging the US to resolve differences through negotiations instead of threats.

“China’s stance is consistent,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted online. “We do not want a tariff war but we are not afraid of one.”

The response came two days after Trump threatened to jack up the tax on imports from China by Nov. 1 in response to new Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earths, a key ingredient for many consumer and military products.

The back and forth threatens to derail a possible meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping and end a truce in a tariff war in which new tariffs from both sides briefly topped 100% in April.

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