China warns against revenge if the United States is dealing with other countries at its expense

China has issued a strong warning against any trade agreements between the United States and the third countries that come at the expense of Chinese interests. In a statement released late on Saturday, the Ministry of Commerce said, “If such a situation happens, China will not accept it and will take counter measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.”

“It has been proven that by adhering to the firmness of its principles and attitudes, it can really protect the state of its legitimate rights,” said a Bloomberg spokesman as saying.

In reference to the ongoing strategy of the Biden administration of imposing mutual definitions, the spokesman said, “This is a typical action of mono -side bullying seriously undermines the multilateral trading system and disrupts the natural international trade order.”

This warning comes at a time when the United States is working to finish many bilateral commercial deals before the deadline on July 9, when mutual definitions are suspended for 90 days.

India is among the countries that are currently negotiating with Washington. “We are working in an early commercial deal with the United States. It has been good. We hope this will be done in the schedule,” said Trade Minister Sonl Bartawal earlier this month.

Rajesh Agarawal, the private secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and the largest negotiator in India, told the BIA Trade Agreement (BTA), that the American delegation was in India from 5 to 11 June. He said that there was “ahead of the goal of completing the first tranche of the commercial deal by the fall of 2025.”

Although the main details of the proposed deal remain under the winding, the officials have indicated that reducing the customs tariffs and expanding the scope of access to the markets is essential to the goals of both sides. The aim is to eventually double bilateral trade to $ 500 billion by 2050.

Washington seeks to obtain wider access in sectors such as food, agriculture, government purchases, intellectual property, customs and digital trade, including databases across the border. Indian officials say any movement in these political sensitive areas will require large -scale internal consultations.

New Delhi’s top priority is still the 26 % mutual tariff imposed by the United States, which was suspended until July 9. India also continued to pressure to remove the long American definitions on steel, aluminum and cars.

Despite the momentum, Indian officials described the current talks as “50-50”. “India will not be pushed around … we are not desperate to conclude the temporary deal quickly,” also one of the officials of Business Today TV said.

China’s sharp reaction highlights the increasing friction as multiple Asian economies – including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh – are racing to ensure more convenient trade conditions with the United States, after the high tariff imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)