China said that BRICS, the group that also includes Brazil, Russia, and India, is not seeking “confrontation.”

The comments came after US President Donald Trump promised to impose an additional 10% tariff on countries that join the bloc, AFP reported.

“As for imposing tariffs, China has repeatedly stated its position that there are no winners in trade and tariff wars, and protectionism offers no way forward,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said.

Trump said he would send the first letters on tariffs to various countries today, July 7, days before the deadline for trading partners to reach an agreement.

On July 6, the US president said he would send the first batch of up to 15 letters, warning that if the countries failed to reach agreements, US tariffs on imports would return to the high levels he set in April.

And in a post on his Truth Social platform, he threatened a further 10% tariff on countries joining the developing BRICS nations, accusing them of “anti-Americanism” after they condemned his tariffs at the Rio de Janeiro summit on July 6.

Conceived two decades ago as a forum for rapidly developing economies, BRICS is seen as a Chinese-led counterweight to the power of the US and Western Europe.

However, Beijing defended the group as “an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries.”

“It advocates openness, inclusiveness, and mutually beneficial cooperation. It does not engage in confrontation and is not directed against any country,” Ning said. | BGNES