China on Thursday expressed strong opposition to the new tariffs imposed by the United States, vowing to take “countermeasures” to defend its rights and interests. The US President, Donald Trump, recently sparked fears of a global trade war by imposing 10 percent tariffs on imports from multiple countries, including significant levies on key trade partners.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce stated that the tariffs violate international trade regulations and severely damage the legitimate rights of the affected parties. It called on Washington to immediately cancel the tariffs, stressing that they could harm both US interests and global supply chains, while jeopardising worldwide economic growth.
The statement also accused the United States of engaging in “typical unilateral bullying practices.” Trump’s new tariffs include a 34 percent rate on Chinese goods, in addition to the 20 percent tariff imposed the previous month. A 10 percent base tariff has been applied to all imports, including those from China.
In response, Beijing has already retaliated by levying tariffs of up to 15 percent on various US agricultural products such as soybeans, pork, and chicken.
The ongoing trade tensions could impact China’s fragile economic recovery, which is already under pressure from a prolonged debt crisis in its property sector and low consumer spending. China’s economy may struggle to rely on strong export growth this year, which reached record highs in 2024.
Trump defended the new tariffs as “reciprocal” but critics argue that his administration’s estimates for losses on US imports from other countries are exaggerated. China countered by claiming that the US is using “reciprocity” as an excuse to increase tariffs, overlooking the benefits the US has reaped from international trade. The Chinese government called for dialogue to resolve the trade dispute, warning that protectionism and tariff hikes won’t solve the underlying issues.
The US has also imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, with China being the world’s largest steel producer, though it does not heavily export to the US.
