Former NBA player Enes Canter Freedom warned the US on Wednesday after China vowed to “fight to the end” against President Donald Trump's tariffs.
China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement Tuesday, saying it is ready for a “type” war with the United States.
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Boston Celtics Centre Enes Canter, #13, he will respond to an official call to the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Toronto's Scottia Bank Arena on November 28, 2021. (Dan Hamilton-Usa Today Sports)
Canter Freedom, who has been outspoken about the Chinese government for the past few years, has issued a warning about the threat in an X post.
“The embassy will not issue this type of statement without approval from the capital,” he wrote. “Raising America.”
Kanter Freedom was one of the only NBA players to oppose Chinese national president Xi Jinping and a detention camp with Uyghur Muslims. He also criticized the NBA for partnering with the NBA while the atrocities were occurring.
“If war is what the US wants, whether it's a tariff war, a trade war or another kind of war, we're ready to fight to the end,” Ministry spokesman Lin Jiang said in a statement. China has already responded to tariffs by imposing a 15% tariff on American agricultural products.
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Boston Celtics Center shoes are Canter Freedom before playing the Chicago Bulls at Boston's TD Garden on November 1, 2021. (Paul Rutherford Usus Today Sports)
Jian's statement, cited by the Chinese embassy in Washington, argued that the fentanyl issue was a “flaky excuse” that would raise tariffs on Chinese imports. Jian warned that “threats don't scare us” and that “bullying” would not work.
“Pressure, coercion or threat is not the right way to deal with China,” Jiang said. “Everyone who uses the greatest pressure on China is choosing the wrong guy and doing the wrong calculation.”
President Donald Trump will impose a 20% tariff on Chinese imports, citing the ongoing fentanyl crisis as the reason for his decision. (AP Photo / Evan Vucci / istock)
Tariffs on China came into effect on Tuesday. Trump on Monday increased tariffs, saying Beijing has failed to “sluggish the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, flowing from its own country, and that such failures constitute a “an extraordinary threat.”
The Chinese government has been opposed to tariffs since its announcement.
The Trump administration has already imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods, announced last month and effective Tuesday.
Kanter Freedom played in the NBA from 2011 to 2022. He averaged 11.2 points per game in 748 career appearances. He finally saw the Boston Celtics and the court before being traded with the Houston Rockets and later abandoned.
Boston Celtics Center Enes Canter Freedom, #13, before a match against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden in Boston on October 22, 2021. (Brian Fulherty Usus Today Sports)
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Since then he has been an outspoken critic of China and Türkiye.
Stephen Sorace of Fox News contributed to this report.
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