China's countermeasures against U.S. tariffs over fentanyl issue remain effective

China's countermeasures against the United States' imposition of 20 percent tariffs on Chinese goods under the pretext of fentanyl remain effective, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The countermeasures include both tariffs and nontariff measures, ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular news conference. He made the remarks two days after China and the U.S. announced their decisions to drastically roll back additional tariffs against each other.

The U.S. imposed two rounds of tariffs — 10 percent each time — on Chinese goods in February and March, citing fentanyl as the reason. In response, China imposed additional tariffs on certain U.S. goods and took other countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Lin dismissed the remarks made by former U.S. ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, who reportedly said the U.S. has made it clear to China that failing to coordinate on the fentanyl issue comes at a cost.

Such remarks disregard facts and are irresponsible, the spokesman said, voicing China's firm opposition. "We have made it clear many times that the fentanyl issue is the U.S.' problem, not China's, and the responsibility lies with the U.S.," he said.

The fact that the U.S. disregarded China's goodwill and imposed "fentanyl tariffs" has impacted bilateral counternarcotics dialogue and cooperation, Lin said. "If the U.S. truly wants to cooperate with China, it should stop smearing China and deflecting blame, and talk with China in an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial manner," he added.