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Trump’s newest warning to enforce an extra full import duty on products from China has been called a “classic case” of US double standards, as stated by the Chinese government.

A official from China’s Commerce Ministry also stated that Beijing could implement its own undisclosed “countermeasures” if the White House occupant carries out his threat, adding that the country was “fearless” of a looming commercial battle.

This past Friday, the former president hit back at the Chinese government’s action to tighten its rules for exports of rare earth minerals, accusing Beijing of “turning aggressive” and attempting to hold the global community “under its control”.

He also threatened to pull out of a planned talks with Beijing’s head of state President Xi, which was arranged for a meeting in South Korea later this month.

The former president’s remarks on Friday rattled stock exchanges, with the S&P 500 share index closing down over two and a half percent, marking its biggest drop since earlier this year.

These statements revived concerns of a commercial dispute between the United States and China.

Earlier this year, the two sides had reached an agreement to drop significant levies on each other’s imports, which had led to concerns of trade halting between the two nations.

This left, American import duties on Chinese goods facing an added thirty percent tariff compared with the year’s onset, while items from the United States entering China face a ten percent duty.

The most recent comments from China – issued by the Ministry of Commerce in the form of official answers to press queries – reflected rhetoric from the height of the recent trade conflict.

The remarks condemned United States controls on electronic components while defending the country’s own restrictions on exports on key elements as “standard procedures” to safeguard national security and that of the global community.

Their representative remarked that for “an extended period”, the US had “overstretched the concept of domestic safety, exploited foreign shipment regulations and “enforced” biased policies against China.

“Resorting to import duty warnings is not the proper method to engage with Beijing,” their representative commented.

“The nation’s view” on a trade conflict has remained steady: we do not want one, but we are fearless of one.”

Last week, Beijing declared it was reinforcing export controls on key elements and further resources vital for cutting-edge industry.

This move was regarded as a important measure, as the country refines about the vast majority of the global rare earth supply, which are employed in products such as solar panels and handheld devices.

New remarks from Washington and Beijing are being seen by analysts as a strategy of strengthening positions ahead of upcoming negotiations.

Is not yet known whether a summit between Donald Trump and China’s leader, scheduled at a summit in Seoul before month’s end, will still proceed.