Australia rejects Chinese offer to 'join hands' against American tariffs

Australia rejected an offer from China to "join hands" against tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday that said in order to stop the "hegemonic and bullying behavior of the US," China and Australia should join forces against the tariffs, according to the BBC.

Deputy Prime Minister of Australia Richard Marles responded to the request in an interview on Sky News, saying, "We are not going to be holding hands with China in respect of any contest that is going on in the world."

China is Australia's largest trading partner. The U.S. imposed a 125% tariff on China and only a 10% tariff on Australian goods.

Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs on dozens of countries, but increased the tariff on China from 104% to 125% on Wednesday.

Trump said he made the decision to pause tariffs after more than 75 countries had called to "negotiate a solution."