Trade War : China counters by 15% tariffs on US goods

Trade War : China counters by 15% tariffs on US goods

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Trade War : China counters by 15% tariffs on US goods

China on Monday imposed additional tariffs of up to 15 percent on some American imports, as part of measures to counter a new 10 percent U.S. tariff on Chinese goods that was levied earlier this month, according to state-run media.

Beijing’s imposition of new tariffs rekindled a trade war that took place between the world’s two largest economies during the first term of U.S. President Donald Trump.

China’s additional tariffs of up to 15 percent cover select imports of U.S. energy and goods, including liquefied natural gas, coal, agricultural machinery and large-displacement automobiles.

Altogether, the new Chinese tariffs target 80 U.S. import items. In 2024, those American imports to China were worth about $14 billion, which accounted for 8.5 percent of the total import value, according to the Japan External Trade Organization.

The Asian powerhouse has also filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the new American tariffs and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into U.S. tech giant Google, despite the company’s services being effectively banned in mainland China.

The new 10 percent U.S. tariff came into effect on Feb. 4 after Trump accused China of not doing enough to stop the shipment to North America of precursors needed to make fentanyl, the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States.

The U.S. president says the tariff increase was aimed at pressuring Beijing to rectify the situation.It remains to be seen whether Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold telephone talks in the near future to alleviate trade frictions.

The White House said on Feb. 3 Trump could speak with Xi within the “next couple of days.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun urged the United States to “correct its wrongdoing” by stopping the new 10 percent tariff, saying at a press conference Monday, “What is needed now is not a unilateral tariff increase but dialogue based on equality and mutual respect.”

Guo also said Beijing calls on Washington to “stop politicizing and weaponizing trade and economic issues.”