China announced its own levies on US imports on Friday following President Donald Trump’s tariffs decision.
Beijing will start charging a 34% tariff on all US imports from April 10, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.
That matches the 34% tariffs against China that Trump announced on Wednesday. They come on top of 20% levies against the country since he took office in January, bringing the total to 54%.
China said on Thursday that it opposed the new US tariffs.
“This gravely violates WTO rules, and undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system,” said Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson. “China firmly rejects this and will do what is necessary to defend our legitimate rights and interests.”
Guo said the US needed to “correct its wrongdoings” and resolve trade disputes with all countries through consultation.
China had retaliated against earlier tariffs from Trump in recent months.
In February, Beijing retaliated against a 10% tariff Trump put on all Chinese goods. At the time, China’s Ministry of Finance said the country would impose a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas and a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and some vehicles.
In March, China hit back swiftly again after Trump doubled tariffs against the country to 20%. This time, Beijing targeted American agriculture, announcing 10% tariffs on US soybeans, pork, and beef imports and 15% tariffs on chicken and cotton imports.
Analysts had signaled more measures from China were likely after Trump’s Wednesday announcement.
“Retaliation will likely follow a phased progression, leaving stronger actions in reserve for further escalation while also maintaining space for possible negotiations,” Eurasia Group analysts in a Thursday note.
“However, each round of escalation and retaliation increases the likelihood of a breakdown in bilateral ties this year.”
