US President Donald Trump has announced an additional 50 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, just 48 hours after Beijing retaliated with a 34 per cent tariff on US products in response to Trump’s previous move, which was part of his broader reciprocal tariff strategy. This brings the US tariff on all Chinese imports to an unprecedented 84 per cent, escalating the ongoing US-China trade war.
In response, China stated that it would not be intimidated by “tariff blackmail,” adding that the US imposed tariffs for unfounded reasons. “The US side’s threat to escalate tariffs against China is a mistake on top of a mistake, once again exposing the American side’s blackmailing nature. If the US insists on having its way, China will fight to the end,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement.
In addition, a 10 per cent global tariff is already in place, which applies to all nations, raising the total US tariff on Chinese goods to a staggering 94 per cent. President Trump gave Chinese President Xi Jinping a 24-hour window to reverse or “withdraw” the newly imposed tariff, warning that failure to do so would result in the full 94 percent tariff being enforced on Chinese imports.
Trump made this announcement around 11:30 AM US time (9 PM India time) on April 7. He referenced his previous warning to China, accusing the country of “tariff abuse,” and shared the message on his social media platform, Truth Social.
In the post, Trump wrote, “Yesterday, China issued retaliatory tariffs of 34 per cent, on top of their already record-setting tariffs, non-monetary tariffs, illegal subsidization of companies, and massive long-term currency manipulation. Despite my warning that any country that retaliates against the US by issuing additional tariffs would face new and substantially higher tariffs, China went ahead with this move.”
He continued, warning, “If China does not withdraw its 34 per cent tariff increase by tomorrow, April 8, 2025, the United States will impose additional tariffs of 50 per cent on China, effective April 9th.”
Trump also announced that all talks with China regarding their requests for dialogue would be terminated. He stated, “Negotiations with other countries that have requested meetings will begin immediately,” signaling a shift in focus to other nations that have not retaliated against US tariffs.
The announcement sent global stock markets and oil prices plummeting, as financial markets have been in freefall for the past 72 hours in response to Trump’s reciprocal tariff order.
