China Plans ‘Major Retaliative Measures’ on U.S. for Huawei, Global Times Editor Says

(Bloomberg) -- China will retaliate against the U.S. for blacklisting Huawei Technologies Co, according to the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a tabloid published by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily.

"Based on what I know, China will take major retaliative measures against the U.S. placing Huawei and other Chinese companies on Entity List," Hu Xijin said in a tweet, without saying how he got the information. "This move indicates Beijing will not wait passively and more countermeasures will follow."

Hu regularly tweets on China’s international affairs, often citing authoritative sources without identifying them. While the Global Times doesn’t necessarily reflect the view of Chinese leaders, Hu has said the paper voices opinions that official sources can’t.

Beijing has readied a plan to restrict exports of rare earths to the U.S. if needed, as both sides in the trade war dig in for a protracted dispute, according to people familiar with the matter. The development follows a flurry of threats this week from state media and officials, highlighting the potential use of the strategic minerals as a trade weapon.

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Sharon Chen in Beijing at schen462@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: John Liu at jliu42@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh

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With assistance from Bloomberg