After assuming the presidency in the United States, Trump has already levied two tranches of 10% additional duties on all Chinese imports. The latest tariff of 34 per cent means that Chinese goods arriving in the US would be effectively subject to 54% tariffs.
China on Friday said that it will impose a reciprocal tariff of 34 per cent on all imports from the United States, starting April 10, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The move is being seen as a counter to US President Donald Trump’s trade war that he escalated following the announcement of fresh tariffs on trading partners, including China. Trump unveiled an additional 34% tariff on all Chinese goods imports on Wednesday, and with two tranches of 10% additional duties already in place, Chinese goods arriving in the US would be effectively subject to 54% tariffs.
China, a key exporter to the US of everything from clothing to kitchenware, has already announced a raft of retaliatory measures expected to raise prices for US consumers.
China’s reaction to Trump’s latest tariffs
Earlier, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars.”
Beijing vowed to resolutely adopt countermeasures after Trump imposed tariffs on its over USD 438 billion imports to the US, the country’s third-largest export market. Reacting to Trump’s tariffs, China said, “History shows that increasing tariffs cannot solve the United States’ own problems. It harms US interests and endangers global economic development as well as industrial and supply chain stability.”
A glimpse of US-China trade
According to the figures from the Office of the US Trade Representative, the US total goods trade with China was an estimated USD 582. 4 billion in 2024. While the US goods exports to China in 2024 were USD 143.5, the US imports from China in 2024 totalled USD 438.9 billion. US goods trade deficit with China was USD 295.4 billion in 2024. Trump’s latest tarrifs are intended to put pressure on China to buy more US industrial and agricultural goods and products.
Trump had vowed for months to impose reciprocal tariffs to match other countries’ higher tariff rates for specific goods and offset non-tariff barriers that put US exports at a disadvantage, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
(With inputs from AP)