Tariffs to repay blow if US makes good on threat

The tariffs Beijing announced it would slap on US imports on Friday was a response to Washington's threat to raise its previously announced pending tariffs of 10 percent to 25 percent on Chinese imports worth $200 billion.

If, when and how China's tariffs - which range from 5 percent to as high as 25 percent on $60 billion worth of US imports - will be implemented depends on if and how the United States proceeds with its tariff threat.

True, the blow Beijing will punch in return is not as heavy as the one Washington is proposing. However, it is not a matter of whose blow is heavier. It is a matter of where the blow is struck. That is what China has taken into consideration in deciding its response.