China’s UN envoy warns US against trade war as world enters 'turbulent' period

Fu Cong expresses hope for constructive partnership despite recent criticism from American politicians

'There is no winner in a trade war,' China's UN ambassador Fu Cong says. AP

China’s UN envoy warned the US on Monday not to launch a trade war against Beijing, emphasising the need for co-operation during a period of growing geopolitical instability.

“The world is entering a very turbulent period. So as the two biggest countries, we don't need to fight each other,” Fu Cong said during a news briefing for the start of China's presidency of the UN Security Council for February.

"I do hope that despite all the rhetoric that we have heard from the American politicians, we can take a constructive and I will emphasise a professional approach to our work here in the United Nations and so much is at stake,” he said.

US President Donald Trump has announced a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, which is expected to take effect on Tuesday. Mr Fu described the move as a breach of World Trade Organisation rules and confirmed that Beijing has filed a complaint with the body.

“There is no winner in a trade war and we do hope that the US should look at his own problems,” he said, adding that China may be forced to take “counter-measures”.

Mr Fu also dismissed US accusations about China’s role in the fentanyl crisis, calling the claims “unwarranted”. Mr Trump has said the illicit flow of fentanyl into the US is a reason for imposing tariffs, accusing Chinese officials of failing to stem the flow of chemical ingredients to criminal groups. The opioid is blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths annually in the US.

“China is one of the countries that has … the most stringent regulations on fentanyl. We have regulations on all fentanyl-related substances. China is the only country that puts the whole category of fentanyl-related substance under regulation,” Mr Fu said.

He said Washington should "look at the demand side of the fentanyl rather than shifting the blames onto others."

Regarding concerns over Chinese technology, the ambassador urged the US to halt its “knee-jerk reactions” against Chinese firms, giving recent actions against Huawei, TikTok and DeepSeek as examples. “How many more do you want to ban?” he asked.

Mr Fu said that China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, will lead a UN Security Council meeting on multilateralism on February 18 and suggested that it could be a “good chance for dialogue” and an opportunity for US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to engage with Chinese officials.

"We need to work together and fight the common enemies of the world, like terrorism, like climate change," he said. "And so, targeting China is not the right way forward".