Beijing [China], August 7 : China on Thursday criticised the United States for its "abuse of tariffs" after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India over its continued purchase of Russian oil.
"China's opposition to the abuse of tariffs is consistent and clear," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun, responding to media queries.
Guo's remarks came hours after the Trump administration took punitive trade action against India, and hinted that China could be next.
At a White House news conference, President Trump was asked if China, the largest buyer of Russian crude oil, would also face similar action. He responded, "It may happen, I don't know, I can't tell you yet. We did it with India and we are doing it probably with a couple of others one of them could be China."
Data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CERA) for June 2025 shows China purchased 47% of Russia's crude exports, followed by India at 38%, the EU at 6%, and Turkiye at 6%. CERA is an independent research organisation registered in Finland.
Despite their significant purchases, neither China nor Turkiye currently face additional U.S. tariffs tied to Russian oil or oil products. On Wednesday, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) pointed out this disparity.
In its statement, the MEA said, "The United States has in recent days targeted India's oil imports from Russia. We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India."
"It is therefore extremely unfortunate that the U.S. should choose to impose additional tariffs on India for actions that several other countries are also taking in their own national interest. We reiterate that these actions are unfair, unjustified and unreasonable. India will take all actions necessary to protect its national interests," the MEA added.
Meanwhile, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro justified the tariffs imposed on India, citing national security. "This was a pure national security issue associated with India's abject refusal to stop buying Russian oil," Navarro said.
Guo Jiakun, in the same briefing, also reacted to reports that two Chinese nationals were charged in the U.S. for allegedly sending advanced Nvidia AI chips to China, in violation of export restrictions. "China opposes the U.S. politicizing tech and trade issues and using them as weapons to maliciously blockade and go after China. The U.S. should earnestly protect the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals," Guo said.
In other remarks, Guo welcomed South Korea's move to temporarily allow visa-free entry for Chinese tourist groups from September 29. "China and the ROK are important neighbors. Enhancing people-to-people exchange is in the common interests of both peoples," he said.
He also expressed condolences on the passing of former Romanian President Ion Iliescu. "Former president Iliescu is an important leader of Romania and old friend of the Chinese people. He made important contribution to the development of China-Romania relations and friendly cooperation between our two countries," Guo said.
"We deeply mourn the passing of former president Iliescu and extend our sincere sympathies to the Romanian government and people as well as former president Iliescu's family," he added.
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