Trade

China hits back with 125% tariffs on US goods

Apr 14, 2025 China

China has retaliated against Donald Trump’s latest round on tariffs by raising duties on all US goods to 125% and dismissing the administration’s actions as a “joke”

Beijing raised tariffs on all US goods from 84% to 125% last Friday in retaliation. This came after the White House made it clear that tariffs on Chinese goods would rise to a total of 145% this year.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said the repeated use of excessive tariffs has become economically meaningless, revealing instead its use as a tool of bullying and coercion. “It has become a joke”, the ministry said.

“Given that American goods are no longer marketable in China under the current tariff rates, if the US further raises tariffs on Chinese exports, China will disregard such measures”, he emphasised.

According to CNN, Trump is waiting for President Xi Jinping to reach out, but Beijing has repeatedly refused to arrange a phone call between the leaders.

Meanwhile, Xi told Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a meeting in Beijing that China and the European Union “should fulfill their international responsibilities, jointly uphold the trend of economic globalisation and the global trade environment, and work together to oppose unilateral bullying”.

The Chinese president will begin a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia next week to solidify ties with some of China's neighbours as trade tensions with the United States escalate.

Image Credits: cnbc.com

China United States Economy Tariffs Trade War