China Prepares "Emergency Response Plan" Amid Escalating US Trade War

While in recent days the growing trade war between China and the US has moved off the front page of market concerns despite now daily skirmishes such as today's anti-dumping probe launch by the US into US steel wheels which followed a Chinese 179% tariff on US sorghum imports which in turn was in response to the US banning exports to Chinese telecom giant ZTE, in recent days China has drawn up comprehensive list of urgent measures as the war of words over US-China trade relations has threatened to escalate into open economic conflict with each side threatening to levy heavy tariffs and taxes on each other's imports.

Commenting on the recent trade hostilities, National Development and Reform Commission spokesman Zeng Peiyan said on Wednesday that Beijing has all the political instruments it needs to respond to this trade conflict with the United States and minimize its economic effect.

"We have an emergency response plan at various levels and political means to retaliate to the trade challenges, initiated by the United States," Zeng added.

He stressed that the trade conflict would affect the country's economy only partially and that China “has the confidence, potential and ability to ensure the stable functioning of the country’s economy.”

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Beijing’s international trade representatives have held multiple meetings with their counterparts in leading European economies as China, too, seek support in its trade brawl with the US. Recall the US was supposed to do the same with Trump canvassing support for the growing world trade war in Latin America last week, however he was held back by the diversionary Syrian airstikes.

China however, was not detained and Beijing officials met ambassadors from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy last Thursday and Friday to propose a firewall against Trump’s protectionism, Reuters reported.

“The message was that we have to stand together against US protectionism in favor of free trade,” a European diplomat told Reuters. “China is showing confidence, but internally they appear quite concerned. They have apparently underestimated Trump’s resolve on trade,” the diplomat said, adding that Beijing is nervous that many of China’s trading partners could side with the US.

Besides imposing tariffs on Chinese goods, the Trump administration has also levied European countries with tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to America. Brussels has said that it will seek compensation from Washington through the World Trade Organization.

Comments

UndergroundPost Four Star Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:03 Permalink

Cheatin' Communist China & it's anti-theist, Christian hating Tyrant-in-chief Xi promoting "free trade"?? Yeah, free to trade whatever the dictatorship of the subjugated masses commands. Bloody Red China with it's propped up, data manipulated ghost economy will lose this trade war

In reply to by Four Star

Rothbardian in… UndergroundPost Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:11 Permalink

1.  Nobody makes you buy Chinese crap.  If you feel so strongly then maybe this should start with you.

2.  War?  I want no part of a war.  Yet, the combover cheeto puts me on the front lines.  I was conscripted.

3.  China will lose?  Ok.  I suppose if it is tariff for tariff sure.  Don't you suppose the capital markets come into play at some point?  And when China starts unloading debt what then?  Fed gonna buy all that up?  Oh, that will be a hoot.

4.  Still can't figure out the trade war hawks.  Rather than simply exercising your economic voting power you'd rather unilateral power pool up in the oval office to tax all of us.  In fact, the taxes are regressive.  Then, you want men with guns to threaten force against you and others if they decide to trade with someone who the emperor deems unworthy.

 

If your such a waste of space that you can't control your own spending that you need to send the gestapo out to kick your own ass and all the rest of us too...then do the world a favor and choke yourself out in a closet somewhere with a belt.  We'll find you later  on.

In reply to by UndergroundPost

AntiBolshevist Rothbardian in… Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:33 Permalink

There is nothing to buy but Chinese crap. They have made sure of that. The Jews responsible for sending Western jobs overseas to Chinkland made sure that no honest, hard working, average American would be able to afford to feed himself and buy products made in his country, with materials from his country, and from people descendant of his ancestors. Inflation going up, wages stagnant, immigrants driving down job supply, dollars not backed by anything of value. It is nothing but financial extortion; transferring the labor and wealth built by one nation to another unworthy nation. That is Communism, parasitism, and Judaism at it's core. There is a reason why Chinese love the Jews so much, they are the same. Make no mistake. They want wealth without having to actually work for it, so they steal it from those that create it.

In reply to by Rothbardian in…

ParkAveFlasher Rothbardian in… Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:51 Permalink

Catch-22 of "Chinese debt unloading scenario" is the old (since the 80's) Trump mantra:

"If I owe you a thousand dollars and can't pay it back, I'm screwed.  If I owe you a million dollars and can't pay it back, you're screwed."

The fact is that bag holding is the price to pay for access to the marketplace, the American marketplace. 

China is caught in the vendor-financing loop.

It is a myth that supply chains can't be stopped and turned on a dime.  The whole landscape can change in a 24-month timeframe.

In reply to by Rothbardian in…

ParkAveFlasher Rothbardian in… Wed, 04/18/2018 - 10:04 Permalink

"Breaking the buck" makes the Chinese predicament worse, because it encourages export of US goods, and reduces the nominal leverage of the debt the Chinese already hold, which is priced one time. 

The world is hip to the Chinese low-ball pricing gambit: to pay half but have to buy twice!  What does that say about Chinese goods and their currency valuations?  What does that say about pricing in Yuan?

It says the Yuan is has so much artifice as to render it a monetary timebomb, based on the obsolescence of the goods you exchange it for. 

It's bamboo, not oak.

You don't revalue your way to prosperity.

In reply to by Rothbardian in…

Rothbardian in… Pandelis Wed, 04/18/2018 - 09:51 Permalink

So let me get this straight.  

 

China has been taking our jobs for decades.  Specifically, all of our manufacturing jobs.  They then managed to build the largest trade surplus on earth with us.  Then they used the proceeds from that to buy a crapload of our debt as an insurance policy.  Sorta like a loan shark selling your note to a meaner, bigger guy down the street.  They are super cheap because they essentially use slave labor and belch out toxic pollution.  We finance this trade deficit with the non-stop monetization of US dollars.

 

And now, we are upset about how this game has turned out.  And we get upset just about the same time that China's military is starting to challenge ours and their currency starting to challenge ours.  Suddenly we find religion for the "American Worker".  Not the 30 years prior...but now it's about the "Worker".  UmmHmm.

 

After all that economic shift our answer to our loan shark is that we are tired of paying him and that we can simply unwind all this mess by taxing our own people.  The way out of all of this is making some single mother pay more for baby bottles at WalMart.  Not only do we tax her, we've managed to convince her that this is in HER best interest.  It's her American duty to take a hit to her real income/purchasing power.  Should she have a moment of weakness and actually want to trade freely outside of the Cheeto's edict she should thank the a-holes with guns who threaten her with force if she does.  In fact, the American flag with the "thin blue line" on it is now more expensive but she should buy it anyway out of respect.  

In reply to by Pandelis

Kayman Rothbardian in… Wed, 04/18/2018 - 10:40 Permalink

Roth

Get a brain. Americans didn't get to vote on the killing of American jobs and off-shoring them to China. Our new-found Upper Class of Globalists, preaching the fake religion of "free" trade were the decision makers. They told Americans- train your replacements or forget about your severance pay.

And American external public debt is a DIRECT RESULT of losing tax-paying industries and workers here in America.

 

In reply to by Rothbardian in…

sheikurbootie Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:44 Permalink

As announced, Peace in Korea will be VERY favorable to China.  Liberals are too retarded to remember.

Peace, no nukes, no US troops needed in SK= NO trade war

Believe in Trump.  The guy's a fucking genius.  Liberal heads continue to explode.

Next up, peace in Israel whether the Palestinians want it or not. 

Rothbardian in… JoseyWalesTheOutlaw Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:55 Permalink

Success?  Listen, I know I'm a faceless nerd behind a keyboard in God knows where.  I could say anything and not be held accountable.  So, take anything I say with a grain of salt or as lies/propaganda...I get it.

 

But, I know a person who was in the room.  Trump wanted to attack NK before they had put the bible away from his swearing in.  Even after explaining the human cost of such an operation Trump begrudgingly relented.

 

Trump is an asshat.

In reply to by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw

sheikurbootie Rothbardian in… Wed, 04/18/2018 - 10:24 Permalink

We'll have to agree that you're an asshat, fuckstick and full of shit.  Go grab your pussy hat and protest.

I'll call you a fucking liar beyond all liars that you "know" someone in the room.  Fuck the fuck off.  Name a name or fuck off.

The plan is simple and I'm amazed that you liberal and RINO fuckers don't see it.  Trump telegraphs his moves, do you not pay attention??? 

Maybe my brain IS bigger than 98% of the population.  This isn't hard to decipher for me.  The Syrian chemical storage (empty) facilities were a message.  Russia can't stop us, if Russia can't stop us then China/DPRK most certainly can't stop us.  The goal is to LEAVE South Korea forever, maybe Japan too.  Relocate to Guam and other US territories.  Huge savings in the 100's of BILLIONS.  

Syria is about a oil/gas pipeline.  The US will carve out a piece for the Kurds to own.  UAE, Saudi run a pipeline to EU.  Russia no longer will have a monopoly.  The EU has few natural resources left.  Why we want the EU as friends is beyond me.  But, that's the plan.

In reply to by Rothbardian in…

Crazy Or Not Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:46 Permalink

The global arm wrestle continues. 
Europe's a Consumer rights groupnad has to man-up to some real decisions instead of the usual "what he says" bullcrap. 

Rikky Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:46 Permalink

Go ahead China make our day.  In the end China loses way more than the USA.  If they materially slow down their export reliant economy you'll have millions of pissed off Chinese workers with no jobs looking for the government leaders heads.

 

China also can't sell the UST they're sitting on for fear of breaking their co-dependence on the USA.

 

Trump knows it and is holding most of the cards.

Winston Churchill Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:50 Permalink

Lets see if Xi can drive that wedge deeper into the cracks showing in the NATO alliance this time with trade.

I realized that the reason Russia didn't strike the launch platforms was the NATO was in total disarray, and

doing it would have united them again.Putin took the short term pain for long term gain.

Our idiot leaders won't see it that way and will completely fracture NATO themselves.

Judo , chess and Go.

nmewn Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:53 Permalink

Wow, tell em they can keep their state subsidized rims and Emporer Xi calls an emergency meeting of the Chi-Com pol-shit-buro ;-)

wwwww Wed, 04/18/2018 - 08:55 Permalink

"...[C]anvassing support for the growing world trade war in Latin America last week, however he was held back by the diversionary Syrian airstrikes..."

All purpose distraction.