‘No Winners in a Trade War’: China Urges US to Scrap Tariffs After Supreme Court Ruling

China has called on the United States to cancel unilateral tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump, following a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of the measures as unlawful.

The court ruled six to three on Friday that Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs under a 1977 law he had relied on to levy sudden duties on individual countries. The decision has upended global trade assumptions and thrown Washington’s trade policy into uncertainty.

Trump’s Response

Trump reacted furiously to the ruling. He first announced a new 10% global duty on imports under a different legal authority, before raising it to 15% on Saturday.

The new duties are due to take effect on Tuesday and are expected to last 150 days, with exemptions for some products.

China’s Response

China’s commerce ministry said on Monday it was conducting a “comprehensive assessment” of the ruling’s impact, and called on Washington to lift the tariffs.

“China urges the United States to cancel its unilateral tariff measures on its trading partners,” the ministry said in a statement. “There are no winners in a trade war, and that protectionism leads nowhere.”

The Chinese foreign ministry also noted that it was paying “close attention” to potential moves by the United States to maintain increased tariffs.

“The United States is currently planning alternative measures such as trade investigations in order to maintain increased tariffs on trading partners. China will continue to pay close attention to this and resolutely safeguard China’s interests,” it said.

The Legal Background

The 1977 law in question granted the president broad authority to impose tariffs in response to national security threats. Trump’s aggressive use of the statute to target specific countriesincluding Chinahad been challenged in court, culminating in Friday’s ruling.

The Supreme Court’s decision effectively nullifies a key pillar of Trump’s trade war strategy, forcing the administration to seek alternative legal justifications.

What Comes Next

With new global duties set to take effect within days, the immediate future of US trade policy remains uncertain. The administration must now defend its actions under different legal authorities, while trading partnersled by Chinapress for the tariffs to be abandoned entirely.

Beijing’s message is clear: the court has spoken, the old justification is gone, and the new measures are just as illegitimate. Washington, for its part, shows no sign of backing down.

The trade war, it seems, is far from over. It’s just entering a new, legally contested phase.