China, ready for any type of war. What war is Beijing thinking about?

The reactions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing to the statements of Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, regarding trade tariffs and Taiwan, although they were taken up by the international press, did not gain the due importance due to the repetition of the same message: China is ready for any type of war that the US will trigger.

That message was repeated obsessively, for four days - from March 3 to 6 inclusive - by the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, which shows that the position of the central authorities in Beijing is an intransigent one in the face of the actions and statements of American officials. During the press conferences held between March 3 and 6, Lin Jian emphasized several times that China is ready to react to any challenge imposed by the US, be it tariff, commercial or military.

Thus, on March 3, Lin Jian criticized the US tariff policy, highlighting that Washington is using the fentanyl issue as a pretext to impose additional taxes on Chinese imports. He stated: "The US is once again using the fentanyl issue as a pretext to threaten China with tariff increases on its imports. China firmly opposes this action and will take necessary measures to firmly protect its legitimate interests. (...) Trade and tariff wars have no winners. US attempts to politicize and use trade and the economy as weapons, imposing increased tariffs on Chinese imports under the pretext of fentanyl and blocking normal trade, investment and economic cooperation with China, will only harm the US's own economic interests and its international credibility."

The Chinese official also mentioned the diplomatic dispute over Taiwan, suggesting that China is prepared for a military confrontation with the US.

Lin Jian stated: "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China. This is the true status quo of the Taiwan Strait. The US is distorting the one-China principle and insisting on using Taiwan against us. Meanwhile, the Taiwan authorities are seeking "independence' with the support and complicity of the US. These are the most fundamental changes to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. The Taiwan issue is the most crucial, sensitive and explosive in China-US relations. If the US does not want to trigger a confrontation, it must stop violating the red line of the Taiwan issue. (...) The Asia-Pacific region is an example of cooperation and development, not a playground for geopolitical rivalries. The US frequently treats other countries as pawns or cannon fodder. Attempts to fuel confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region run counter to current trends and regional aspirations and are doomed to failure."

On March 4, when asked by a reporter for The New York Times about the trade war launched by the US, Lin Jian reiterated the statements made the day before, but added a harsher, explicit note, referring to the fact that China is prepared for any type of war. The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said: "The measures to defend our rights and interests are completely legitimate and necessary. The US is using a weak pretext - fentanyl - to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. If the US wants war - be it tariff, trade or other - we are ready to fight to the end."

This statement was noted by the Beijing correspondent of the Spanish agency EFE, who on March 5 asked the representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry for explanations regarding the war of another nature. Following the request from the Spanish journalist, Lin Jian reiterated China's firm position: "Yesterday, we made clear China's serious position. The US insists on using the fentanyl issue as a pretext to raise tariffs on Chinese imports. China has firmly opposed it and taken legitimate and necessary countermeasures. If the US really wants to solve the fentanyl issue, it must work with China on the basis of equality and mutual respect. If their goal is to harm China's interests, we are ready to fight to the end."

China's position remained the same the next day, March 6, when asked by the correspondent of the Russian news agency TASS how he commented on the statement of Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of State for Defense, regarding the fact that the US is not seeking a war with China, but will rebuild its military and prepare for war, Lin Jian stated bluntly: "The US should stop looking at China-US relations with an outdated mentality, like during the Cold War. The US should not try to limit or attack China under the pretext of strategic competition. I have clearly emphasized that no war - tariff, trade, cold or hot - should be waged and cannot be won. The rhetoric of American officials fuels ideological confrontation and promotes the false threat from China. The US must understand that China is not the mirror image of the alleged American hegemony".

On Friday, March 7, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not hold the daily press conference due to an official event involving the Beijing minister, Wang Yi. Probably, if he had held a press conference on March 7, Lin Jian would have expressed the same position.

The repeated statements of the Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesperson indicate that China is not only ready to firmly respond to the economic challenges imposed by the US, but that it is willing to go to the end in any confrontation. Both the tariff policy and the confrontational rhetoric promoted by American officials were categorically rejected by China, which reaffirmed its desire to protect its strategic interests. Unfortunately, the escalation of tension between Beijing and Washington was not noticed by other global leaders, not even by the European leaders gathered on March 6 at the European Council meeting. Neither Emmanuel Macron, nor Ursula von der Leyen, nor Kaja Kallas or Antonio Costa had a position on the war of statements between the US and China, even though last week the central authorities in Beijing stated that they want to have an economic, commercial partnership with the European Union.

It remains to be seen how the relationship between the two superpowers will evolve in the coming months and whether China is really prepared for any type of confrontation, even military, with the US.