Business & Economics
China Rejects Trump’s 25 % Tariff Threat Over Iran Trade
After President Trump warned on 12 Jan 2026 that any nation trading with Iran would face a 25 % tariff on its commerce with the United States, Beijing on 13 Jan publicly vowed to defend its economic interests and forego compliance.
Focusing Facts
- Trump’s statement: “Any country doing business with Iran will pay a tariff rate of 25 % on any business conducted with the US,” issued Monday, 12 Jan 2026.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, 13 Jan 2026 press briefing: “China will resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
- Iranian rights group HRANA estimates 648 protesters killed during Tehran’s crackdown as of mid-January 2026.
Context
Washington’s attempt to police third-party commerce through punitive tariffs echoes the 1996 Helms-Burton Act sanctions on Cuba and the 2018–2019 US-China tariff volley, both of which triggered allied push-back and WTO challenges. Trump’s threat widens the long-running use of secondary sanctions—tools the US has honed since the 1950 UN embargo on North Korea—signaling further bifurcation of global trade blocs and accelerating de-dollarisation efforts already underway after the 2022 Russian sanctions. Whether Beijing capitulates or counters, the episode matters because it tests the limits of US leverage when over 18 % of world goods now move through Chinese supply chains; over a century, such tariff brinkmanship either cements hegemonic control (as Britain’s Navigation Acts briefly did in the 17th century) or hastens alternative systems, as Smoot-Hawley’s 1930 tariff spurred. This moment therefore sits at the inflection point of a potential re-ordering of global trade norms rather than a mere bilateral spat.
Perspectives
Chinese state-owned media
e.g., China Daily — Frames Washington’s threatened 25 % levy as unilateral economic bullying and insists Beijing will staunchly defend its “legitimate rights and interests,” stressing that tariff wars produce no winners. Likely minimizes discussion of Iran’s internal turmoil and casts China as a principled defender against U.S. aggression, in line with Beijing’s foreign-policy messaging.
Regional international outlets
Malay Mail, TRT World — Report China’s warning to the United States but place it alongside details of deadly protests in Iran, suggesting the tariffs are unfolding amid wider instability and human-rights concerns. By foregrounding Iranian casualty figures while repeating China’s remarks, these outlets add drama and moral context yet avoid taking a strong stance on the tariff threat itself, which can subtly dilute Beijing’s anti-tariff narrative.