The Blubber

China Hits Back at New Trump Tariffs with Retaliatory Levies on U.S. Goods

China has retaliated swiftly against the latest U.S. tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, imposing 10% to 15% increases on import duties covering a range of American agricultural and food products. Additionally, 25 U.S. firms have been placed under export and investment restrictions as part of Beijing’s countermeasures.

China’s Response to U.S. Tariff Hikes

The retaliation follows the U.S. decision to double tariffs on Chinese goods to 20% and to impose new 25% levies on imports from Mexico and Canada, escalating trade tensions with all three of America’s top trading partners.

"Beijing will impose an additional 15% tariff on U.S. chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton, as well as an extra 10% levy on soybeans, sorghum, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables, and dairy imports from March 10," China’s finance ministry announced in a statement.

In a separate statement, China’s commerce ministry criticized the unilateral U.S. tariff measures, arguing they violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and undermine the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S.

"China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," the statement added.

Trump’s Latest Tariffs on China

The additional 10% duty, which President Trump threatened China with last week, took effect at 0501 GMT on March 4, bringing total tariffs to 20% in response to what the White House claims is Beijing’s failure to curb illicit drug flows.

These new tariffs come on top of duties of up to 25% imposed during Trump’s first term on $370 billion worth of U.S. imports. Many of these tariffs were further increased under former President Joe Biden last year, including:

• Duties on Chinese semiconductors doubled to 50%
• Tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles quadrupled to over 100%

The latest 20% tariff will now extend duties to U.S. consumer electronics previously untouched, covering:

• Smartphones
• Laptops
• Video game consoles
• Smartwatches
• Speakers and Bluetooth devices

Growing U.S.-China Trade War

The United States has argued that China’s trade practices—including industrial subsidies and state-controlled production—create an unfair playing field, while China has framed the latest U.S. tariffs as economic coercion.

The tariff battle further strains relations between the world’s two largest economies, with China vowing additional countermeasures should the U.S. escalation continue.