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Donald Trump’s newest warning to impose an additional 100% tariff on items imported from China has been labeled a “classic case” of American hypocrisy, per the Chinese government.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry additionally remarked that Beijing could implement its own undisclosed “countermeasures” if the US President follows through on his pledge, adding that the country was “not afraid” 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 “becoming very hostile” and attempting to hold the global community “hostage”.

Additionally, he threatened to cancel a scheduled talks 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 that day rattled financial markets, with the benchmark US stock index dropping nearly three percent, marking its biggest drop since earlier this year.

These statements renewed apprehensions of a trade conflict between the United States and China.

This past spring, the both nations had consented to remove significant levies on each other’s goods, which had created the possibility of bilateral trade stopping between the two countries.

This left, American import duties on Chinese goods subject to an added 30% levy compared with the year’s onset, while American products entering the Chinese market incur a ten percent duty.

Beijing’s recent statements – released by the Commerce Ministry in the form of written responses to media inquiries – mirrored rhetoric from the peak of the ongoing trade dispute.

They criticised United States controls on electronic components while defending Beijing’s export controls on rare earth minerals as “standard procedures” to ensure domestic safety and that of the global community.

Their representative said that for “many years”, the US had “expanded the interpretation” of domestic safety, misused overseas sale restrictions and “adopted unfair treatments against the Chinese nation.

“Turning to” import duty warnings is not the correct approach to engage with China,” the spokesperson commented.

“The nation’s view” on a import duty dispute has consistently been unchanging: we wish to avoid one, but we are fearless of one.”

Last week, the Chinese government declared it was tightening foreign shipment restrictions on rare earths and further resources critical for high-technology production.

This move was regarded as a key move, as the state handles about 90% of the planet’s critical minerals, which are used in products such as photovoltaic modules and smartphones.

New remarks from both governments are being seen by analysts as a strategy of strengthening positions prior to forthcoming discussions.

It is unclear whether a talks between Donald Trump and China’s leader, scheduled at a conference in Seoul later this month, will go ahead.