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Donald Trump’s latest warning to impose an extra 100% tariff on items imported from China has been labeled a “typical example” of United States’ contradictory behavior, according to the Beijing administration.

A Commerce Ministry spokesperson also stated that China could introduce its own unspecified “retaliatory steps” if the US President follows through on his warning, noting that the country was “unafraid” of a possible trade conflict.

Last Friday, Trump hit back at China’s decision to reinforce its policies for overseas sales of rare earths, accusing the Chinese leadership of “becoming very hostile” and attempting to hold the world “captive”.

He also vowed to pull out of a planned summit with Chinese leader Xi, which was set for a meeting in the Republic of Korea later this month.

Trump’s comments on Friday rattled stock exchanges, with the benchmark US stock index closing down 2.7%, marking its biggest drop since April.

The president’s words reignited concerns of a trade war between the US and China.

Earlier this year, the respective governments had consented to remove high import duties on each other’s products, which had led to concerns of trade halting between the two nations.

Consequently, American import duties on products from China facing an additional 30% levy compared with the year’s onset, while US goods entering the country face a ten percent duty.

Beijing’s recent statements – published by the Commerce Ministry in the form of official answers to journalist’s questions – reflected rhetoric from the height of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned US export restrictions on electronic components while defending the country’s own export controls on key elements as “routine measures” to ensure state interests and that of the global community.

Their representative said that for “a long time”, the United States had “expanded the interpretation” of national security, abused overseas sale restrictions and “enforced” discriminatory practices against China.

“Turning to” trade levy ultimatums is not the proper method to engage with Beijing,” the official stated.

“China’s position on a import duty dispute has consistently been consistent: we are not seeking one, but we are unafraid of one.”

The previous week, China revealed it was tightening overseas sale regulations on rare earths and other materials essential to advanced tech manufacturing.

This was seen as a important measure, as the state refines about ninety percent of the planet’s critical minerals, which are utilized in items such as solar panels and mobile phones.

The recent comments from both governments are being seen by some as a means of strengthening positions in preparation for forthcoming discussions.

Is not yet known whether a summit between Trump and Xi Jinping, scheduled at a high-level meeting in Seoul in the coming weeks, will take place as planned.