BEIJING: China has warned that US President Donald Trump’s vow to impose high tariffs on steel and aluminum would have a “huge impact” on the global trading order and said Beijing would work with other nations to protect its interests. A Commerce Ministry official said late Friday that Trump’s plan to levy tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum would “seriously damage multilateral trade mechanisms represented by the World Trade Organization and will surely have huge impact on normal international trade order.” “If the final measures of the United States hurt Chinese interests, China will work with other affected countries in taking measures to safeguard its own rights and interests,” Wang Hejun, head of the ministry’s trade remedy and investigation bureau, said in a statement on the ministry’s website. Chinese leaders have threatened in the past to retaliate if Trump raises trade barriers, but now need to weigh whether to back up those threats with action and risk jeopardizing US market access for smartphones and other exports that matter more to their economy than metals. “China will definitely respond. It doesn’t want to be seen as weak. But it will be relatively restrained,” said economist Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics. “They don’t want to be seen as a party that is wrecking the international trading system.” Global stock markets fell sharply Friday over worries of a possible trade war following Trump’s announcement. Trump thumbed his nose Friday at the concerns over rising trade tensions and higher prices for US consumers, tweeting that “trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!” Beijing has accused Trump of undermining global trade regulation by taking action over steel, technology policy and other disputes under US law instead of through the World Trade Organization. Chinese officials have appealed to the White House since last March to avoid hurting both sides by disrupting aluminum trade. Their tone hardened after Trump launched a probe in August of whether Beijing improperly pressures companies to hand over technology and in January raised duties on Chinese solar modules and washing machines. Canada, Japan and South Korea, all US allies and major exporters of steel and aluminum, are asking for exemptions from the tariff hike, which Trump justified in part on national security grounds. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it “made no sense” to highlight national security issues noting the countries’ military cooperation and defense of North America. “This is absolutely unacceptable and it’s a point we’ve made many times,” Trudeau said. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada is prepared to take responsive measures to defend its trade interests. Published in Daily Times, March 4th 2018.