(MENAFN- Live Mint) Residents of China's capital city, Beijing, on Saturday showed indifference and defiance about United States President Donald Trump's recent decision to impose harsh new tariffs on the country, AFP reported.

On Friday, Trump unexpectedly announced that the United States would impose an extra 100 percent tariff on all imports from China starting from November 1, or possibly earlier, and also raised doubts about an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese authorities have not yet publicly reacted to the tariff announcement, which Trump claimed was a response to Beijing's recent export control measures in the critical rare-earth sector.

What do Beijing residents feel?

Meanwhile, residents of Beijing have reacted to Trump's tariff announcement.

"I felt nothing when I first saw the news," said Liu Ming, a 48-year-old employee in a software company told AFP.

“China isn't afraid of any US sanctions or policies aimed at limiting us. We have the confidence and ability to do better ourselves," Liu said.

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Calling out Trump's policies, Liu noted that from a Chinese perspective, he is somewhat unreliable, constantly shifting policies and causing commotion in the world.

Irene Wang, an insurance worker in her thirties, agreed with Liu's sentiment.

"He says one thing today, but maybe after a nap he'll change his mind again," Wang told the news agency.

She thinks that the imposition of extremely high tariffs could backfire.

"For Americans , it could have an impact," she said, as tariffs on Chinese products might raise prices in the US.

Some residents expected only a modest effect on China's economy if the trade war with the US intensified again.

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"The import-export sector, especially those businesses, will inevitably be affected to some extent," Jesicca Yu, 40 told the news agency.

'For ordinary people in China , in the immediate future, I don't think much will change in their daily lives," she said.

Yu also expressed concern about the strained relationship between Beijing and Washington.

"The more peaceful things are, the more economic development can take place," Yu said, adding, "We hope things go back to normal."

Lisa Liu, a colleague of Yu in her thirties, mentioned that she sees one positive aspect in Trump's unpredictable style of governance.

"He gives us a lot to talk about at the dinner table," she said.

What did Trump say about additional tariffs on China?

In a long post on Truth Social, Donald Trump wrote,“It has just been learned that China has taken an extraordinarily aggressive position on Trade in sending an extremely hostile letter to the World, stating that they were going to, effective November 1st, 2025, impose large scale Export Controls on virtually every product they make, and some not even made by them.”

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“Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only for the U.S.A., and not other Nations who were similarly threatened, starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” he added.

What is the contention over rare earth minerals?

Trump's announcement came after reports that China had imposed new controls on rare earth mineral exports, which is vital for high-tech industries across the globe. Trump had previously threatened to respond with“a massive increase” in tariffs on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijing's latest trade restrictions.

What did Trump say about meeting Xi Jinping?

Speaking to reporters at the White House , Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about whether the expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea would take place.

“I haven't cancelled. I would assume we might have it. Beijing has never confirmed the meeting,” Reuters quoted the US President.

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