Beijing: China has voiced strong opposition to the United States' decision to impose 50% tariffs on copper imports, citing a national security assessment as the reason behind the move. The announcement was made by US President Donald Trump, who stated that the tariffs would go into effect on August 1, 2025.

According to Anadolu Agency, the response from China was delivered by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning during a live-streamed news conference in Beijing. Mao emphasized that China believes trade wars and tariff wars have no winners and that protectionism is not beneficial for any party involved. She reiterated China's consistent stance on opposing the politicization of economic and trade issues.

The tariffs were announced following President Trump's statement on his Truth Social platform, where he highlighted the critical role of copper in manufacturing various defense and technological components, including semiconductors, aircraft, ships, and missile defense systems. Trump questioned past US leadership decisions that he claims have weakened the domestic copper industry, which is vital to national security.

In a related development, the Philippines also expressed concern over the Trump administration's imposition of a 20% tariff on their exports. Frederick Go, a senior official from the Philippines, announced that a high-level delegation would be traveling to Washington to engage in trade talks, aiming to secure fairer trade terms. The US and the Philippines maintain a trade relationship valued at approximately $24 billion, with Manila exporting goods and services worth $14 billion to the US.