The U.S. threat and blackmail against the rest of the world with tariffs is a real attempt to choke the throat of other countries and bully them into making a compromise or concessions, a spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday in Beijing.
Lin Jian, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a media query about the comments made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who criticized Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo's suggestion that Europe should more closely align with China.
"That would be cutting your own throat," Bessent told a banking event in Washington earlier.
"Speaking of 'cutting the throat', the U.S. threat and blackmail against the rest of the world with tariffs is a real attempt to choke the throat of other countries and bully them into making a compromise or concessions," Lin said.
"The relationship between China and Spain is a vital component of the relations between China and the EU. Last year, the total trade between China and Spain topped 50 billion U.S. dollars and Spain’s exports to China grew by 4.3 percent. In recent years the bilateral cooperation on the new energy industry has boosted green and low-carbon development. The two countries maintain communication in the multilateral cooperation and jointly uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the WTO-centered multilateral trading system. Just like the friendly ties between China and other countries, the cooperation between China and Spain always serves as a driving force for both countries’ economic growth and delivers tangible benefits for the two peoples, and contributes to world stability and development," Lin added.
US blackmail against rest of world with tariffs real attempt to choke throat of other countries: FM spokesman
