It comes after Donald Trump implemented tariffs on Chinese imports
China has implemented new tariffs in response to steps made by Donald Trump during his opening days in the Oval Office.
Upon taking office, President Donald Trump swiftly implemented tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, citing an “extraordinary threat” posed by illegal immigration and the influx of dangerous drugs like fentanyl.
Tariffs, essentially taxes on imported goods, drive up costs for foreign products sold in the U.S.—a burden that often trickles down to consumers. Last month, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 10% tariff on all Chinese imports. Shortly after, that tariff was raised to 20% across the board, intensifying the economic standoff and reshaping global trade dynamics.
Regarding China, a White House press release accused Chinese officials of failing to curb the flow of precursor chemicals to criminal cartels and neglecting to crack down on money laundering by transnational criminal organizations.
The trade war officially ignited on February 4, prompting swift retaliation from President Xi Jinping. In response to Trump’s tariffs, China announced a 15% tax on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas, along with a 10% levy on crude oil, farming equipment, and select automobiles.
By Tuesday, March 4, China escalated its measures, imposing an additional 15% tariff on U.S. chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton, while soybeans, pork, beef, seafood, dairy, and various fruits and vegetables saw a 10% hike, according to AP.
Further intensifying the standoff, China blacklisted ten U.S.-based firms, placing them on its “unreliable entity list”—a move that effectively bans these companies from making new investments or conducting import-export business within the country.
Beijing has further escalated tensions by adding 15 U.S.-based companies to its export control list. In an official statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce declared, “China has decided to include 15 U.S. entities that endanger China’s national security and interests in the export control list, prohibiting the export of dual-use items to them.”
Looking ahead, Sun Chenghao, an international relations professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, weighed in on the situation. “The U.S. hopes to secure a trade deal with China in the end. In the long run, negotiations may continue, but the current atmosphere is far from favorable,” he stated, highlighting the uncertain future of U.S.-China relations.
