China has warned that if US President-elect Donald J. Trump chooses to wage a trade war against the country, it would respond by cutting iPhone sales and replace Boeing orders with Airbus.
During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly targeted China and vowed to toughen trade restrictions on the country. He threatened that he would punish Beijing with a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports.
In response to his statement, The Global Times reported that China would strike back with a "tit-for-tat approach" by ensuring that some US industries become impaired.
Aside from cutting iPhone sales and replacing a batch of Boeing orders, the same source warned that China would also limit the number of Chinese students studying in the US and would put a stop to US soybean and maize imports.
Now that Trump has won the elections, many officials believe that he would moderate many of his bold campaign pledges and become realistic with his aims.
Jorge Guajardo, Mexico's previous ambassador to China, said that now that Trump is on the hot seat, he is expected to deliver. Being a shrewd businessman, Trump would not be so naive to launch an all-out trade war against China knowing that it could also damage the US market.
Analysts also believe that Trump would not risk being condemned for his recklessness. Reuters reported that after Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with Trump over the phone, the two men agreed to sustain communication and meet to arrange for collaboration. President Xi told Trump that avoid needless consequences for both parties. "Cooperation is the only correct choice for China and the United States," Xi said.