US Vice-President J.D. Vance said on Sunday that President Donald Trump is “thinking” about imposing new tariffs on imports from China in retaliation for Beijing’s continued purchases of Russian oil — a move that could inject fresh tension into already delicate US-China trade talks.
Speaking in a Fox News interview, Vance was pressed on whether Trump might take the same approach he did against India last week, when the president slapped a punitive 25 percent tariff on Indian imports after New Delhi ignored repeated warnings to halt Russian oil purchases.
“The president said he’s thinking about it, but he hasn’t made any firm decisions,” Vance said. “Obviously, the China issue’s a little bit more complicated because [in] our relationship with China, it just, it affects a lot of other things that have nothing to do with the Russian situation.
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“So the president’s reviewing his options and, of course, is going to make that decision when he decides.”
Trump, who campaigned on a vow to end Russia’s war against Ukraine “on day one” of his presidency, has sought to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt the conflict. More than six months into his term, however, those efforts — which have included targeted sanctions and trade penalties on countries aiding Moscow — have yielded little measurable change in the battlefield situation.
When asked for a response to Vance’s remarks, Beijing’s embassy in Washington defended its trade with Moscow.
“The international community, including China, has conducted normal cooperation with Russia within the framework of international law,” said Liu Pengyu, the embassy’s spokesman.
Trump’s move against India last week triggered diplomatic pushback from Beijing and Moscow, both of which publicly stood by New Delhi. Officials from China and Russia argued that India, as a sovereign nation, has the right to pursue and protect its trade interests with any country, so long as such dealings are within the bounds of international law. Their coordinated statements underscored a growing pattern of economic and geopolitical alignment among the three nations in the face of US pressure.
Possible Trade Fallout with Beijing
The prospect of imposing tariffs on China over its Russian oil purchases is raising concern among economists and business leaders, given that Washington and Beijing are already in sensitive negotiations on technology exports, supply chain security, and market access. Analysts warn that any escalation could derail ongoing talks and revive the tit-for-tat tariff battles that marked Trump’s first attempt, when hundreds of billions of dollars in goods were caught in a trade war.
China remains a dominant force in global manufacturing and an indispensable link in US supply chains, from consumer electronics to electric vehicle components. Fresh tariffs could drive up costs for American consumers, disrupt industrial production, and prompt retaliatory measures from Beijing, potentially targeting US agricultural exports and advanced manufacturing sectors.
For Beijing, a tariff escalation would not only represent an economic challenge but could also harden its strategic pivot toward alternative markets, deepening ties with Russia, India, the Middle East, and African nations. For Washington, the decision risks becoming a political flashpoint at home, with domestic industries split between those seeking protection from Chinese imports and those fearing the loss of market access in China.
If enacted, the China tariffs could become the most consequential trade move of Trump’s second term to date, with the world’s largest economies taking the heat from many angles.