BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued another threat against China, demanding China drop its countermeasures, or else face a new round of tariff hikes.

The naked extortion undoubtedly highlights Washington's hegemonic behavior. Utterly absurd is the underlying logic of the United States: "I can hit you at my will, and you must not respond. Instead, you must surrender unconditionally."

This is not diplomacy. It is blunt coercion dressed up as policy. Washington's stance reflects a dangerous form of economic bullying that runs counter to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect.

China has made its position unequivocal: "We do not provoke trouble, nor are we intimidated by it. Pressuring and threatening are not the right way in dealing with China."

The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a grave mistake on top of an existing one. China firmly opposes this move. If Washington is bent on going down this wrong path, China will not hesitate to respond in kind.

Indeed, appeasing a bully only emboldens further aggression. Just look at how Trump responded to the EU's request for talks to lower the tariffs: he declined to hold talks on changing tariffs "unless they pay us a lot of money on a yearly basis, number one for present, but also for past."

Simply put, the Trump administration's trade war, launched under the guise of "fairness" and "reciprocity," is in essence a zero-sum game driven by the pursuit of "America First" and "American exceptionalism."

Policymakers in Washington must recognize that exerting maximum pressure on China will come to naught. China will remain firm in taking resolute steps to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests. The only viable path to resolving differences lies in equal-footed dialogue grounded in mutual respect. ■