In his first global meetings since Donald Trump was reelected to lead the U.S., Chinese President Xi Jinping went on a diplomatic offensive, hedging against expected new tariffs and preparing to exploit potential future rifts between Washington and its allies.

A spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in Washington said his country is fighting fentanyl trafficking, the reason for the new promised penalty.

President-elect Donald Trump has just declared his intention that, on his first day in office, he will impose 10 per cent tariffs on all US imports from China, including those already subject to such levies.

By bno - Taipei Office China has responded defiantly to US President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports, accusing him of using the fentanyl crisis as a pretext for trade escalation.