Washington, September 15, 2025
The Trump administration will not impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods over Beijing’s purchase of Russian oil unless European allies take the same step, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Reuters and Bloomberg.
“We expect the Europeans to do their part, and we will not act without them,” Bessent said when asked whether Washington planned unilateral duties against China.
On September 13, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was prepared to impose tough sanctions on Russia if all NATO members acted jointly and stopped importing Russian oil. He criticized some allies for continuing to buy Russian energy, saying it weakened the alliance’s negotiating position.
Trump also urged NATO members to introduce tariffs of 50–100% on Chinese imports, framing it as a way to help end the conflict in Ukraine. He suggested such tariffs could be lifted once a peace settlement is reached.
Beijing, however, has already signaled it would retaliate. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned that China would take “decisive countermeasures” if NATO countries, under U.S. pressure, introduced tariffs under the pretext of Chinese purchases of Russian oil.
