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Donald Trump’s latest warning to impose an further 100% tariff on products from China has been labeled a “prime illustration” of United States’ contradictory behavior, according to the China’s leadership.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry additionally remarked that China could enact its own undisclosed “responsive actions” if the White House occupant carries out his pledge, emphasizing that the country was “fearless” of a potential commercial battle.

This past Friday, Trump retaliated at Beijing’s move to reinforce its policies for overseas sales of rare earths, alleging the Chinese leadership of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the international market “captive”.

Additionally, he threatened to pull out of a planned meeting with Beijing’s head of state Xi Jinping, which was expected to take place during a summit in South Korea in the coming weeks.

Trump’s comments on Friday unsettled stock exchanges, with the S&P 500 falling by 2.7%, marking its biggest drop since earlier this year.

These statements reignited fears of a trade war between the US and China.

This past spring, the two sides had agreed to drop triple-digit tariffs on each other’s products, which had raised the prospect of trade halting between the economic powers.

This left, American import duties on Chinese imports incurring an added thirty percent tariff compared with the start of the year, while American products entering China are subject to a 10% tariff.

The most recent comments from China – released by the Ministry of Commerce in the format of official answers to media inquiries – mirrored language from the zenith of the latest commercial tensions.

Officials denounced American limits on exports on electronic components while justifying the country’s own export controls on rare earth minerals as “normal actions” to protect national security and that of all nations.

Their representative said that for “many years”, the United States had “overstretched the concept of national security, misused foreign shipment regulations and “enforced” biased policies against China.

“Using” tariff threats is not the right way to deal with the Chinese government,” their representative stated.

“Beijing’s stance” on a trade conflict has remained consistent: we wish to avoid one, but we are unafraid of one.”

The previous week, the Chinese government declared it was tightening foreign shipment restrictions on rare earth minerals and additional substances vital for high-technology production.

This move was regarded as a important measure, as the nation processes about the vast majority of the world’s rare earths, which are utilized in items such as renewable energy components and handheld devices.

New remarks from the US and China are being interpreted by observers as a strategy of bolstering negotiating stances prior to upcoming negotiations.

It is unclear whether a meeting between Trump and President Xi, scheduled at a high-level meeting in South Korea later this month, will go ahead.