Share
BEIJING โ Deepening its trade battle with the U.S. and sending financial markets spinning, China announced tariff hikes Monday on $60 billion of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trumpโs latest penalties on Chinese products.
Punitive charges of 5% to 25% on thousands of American products including batteries, spinach and coffee will take effect June 1, the Finance Ministry said. That extends Chinese duty increases to $110 billion of imports from the United States.
The announcement followed an increase of U.S. duties on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25% from 10% in the increasingly bitter dispute. American officials have accused China of backtracking on commitments they say it made in earlier negotiations.
On Twitter, Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) his country โwill be hurt very badlyโ if it doesnโt agree to a trade deal.
Trump tweeted China โhad a great deal, almost completed, & you backed out!โ
The president insisted increases on Chinese goods donโt hurt American consumers, saying there is โno reason for the U.S. Consumer to pay the Tariffs.โ
Beijing Is Running out of U.S. Imports for Penalties
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow acknowledged Sunday that U.S. consumers and businesses do pay the tariffs. โBoth sides will pay,โ he told Fox News.
China had vowed โnecessary countermeasuresโ on Friday against Trumpโs escalation.
Frazzled by the uncertainty, shares sank Monday across the globe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 622.10 points or 2.4%, while the Standard & Poorโs 500 sank 2.5% in early trading.
Chinaโs announcement Monday said tariff increases are going ahead based on a list of $60 billion of U.S. goods Beijing released in August. That list was issued in response to Trumpโs threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% from 10%. Beijing said then it wouldnโt take action until the U.S. increases took effect, which finally happened on Friday.
A 25% tariff applies to 2,493 items including industrial chemicals, electronic equipment, precision machinery and hundreds of food products, according to the Finance Ministry. A 20% penalty applies to 1,078 items, 10% to 974 items and 5% to 662 items.
Beijing is running out of U.S. imports for penalties due to the lopsided trade balance between the worldโs two largest economies. Regulators have targeted American companies in China by slowing down customs clearance for shipments and processing of business licenses.
The new tariffs are likely to hurt exporters on both sides, as well as European and Asian companies that trade between the United States and China or supply components and raw materials to their manufacturers.
The Latest Talks Ended With No Word of Progress
The increases already in place have disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment and sent shockwaves through other Asian economies that supply Chinese factories.
Forecasters have warned that the U.S. tariff hikes could set back a Chinese recovery that had appeared to be gaining traction. Growth in the worldโs second-largest economy held steady at 6.4% over a year earlier in January-March, supported by higher government spending and bank lending.
The tensions โraise fresh doubts about this recovery path,โ said Morgan Stanley economists Robin Xing, Jenny Zheng and Zhipeng Cai in a report.
The latest U.S. charges could knock 0.5 percentage points off annual Chinese economic growth and that loss could widen to 1 percentage point if both sides extend penalties to all of each otherโs exports, economists say. That would pull annual growth below 6%, raising the risk of politically dangerous job losses.
The latest talks ended with no word of progress on Friday. Chinese officials said they hoped that the U.S. side would meet them halfway, describing the standoff as just a โsetback.โ
Trump might meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during next monthโs meeting of the Group of 20 major economies in Osaka, said Kudlow, his economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.
Trump Started Raising Tariffs Last July
Chinaโs state media tried to reassure businesses and consumers the ruling Communist Party has the resources and policy tools to respond.
โThere is nothing to be afraid of,โ said the party newspaper Peopleโs Daily. โThe U.S.-instigated trade war against China is just a hurdle in Chinaโs development process. It is no big deal.โ
Trump started raising tariffs last July over complaints China steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.
Washington wants Beijing to roll back government support for Chinese companies striving to become global leaders in robotics and other technology. The U.S. and other trading partners say such efforts violate Beijingโs free-trade commitments.
Pentagonโs Watchdog to Review Hegsethโs Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike
5 hours ago
President Trumpโs Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point
7 hours ago
Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal
7 hours ago
Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks
2 hours ago
Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency
3 hours ago
First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close
5 hours ago
Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6
5 hours ago
Pentagonโs Watchdog to Review Hegsethโs Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike
5 hours ago
President Trumpโs Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point
7 hours ago
Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal
7 hours ago
Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks
2 hours ago
Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency
3 hours ago
First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close
5 hours ago
Pence Will Receive the Profile in Courage Award From the JFK Library for His Actions on Jan. 6
5 hours ago
Pentagonโs Watchdog to Review Hegsethโs Use of Signal App to Convey Plans for Houthi Strike
5 hours ago
President Trumpโs Tariffs Could Be the Political Tipping Point
7 hours ago
Order That Kept Water in the Kern River Reversed by 5th District Court of Appeal
7 hours ago

Trump Fires NSC Officials a Day After Far-Right Activist Raises Concerns to Him

China Halts Approvals for New US Investment Projects

Trump Tariff Fears Erase $2 Trillion From US Stocks

Senate Confirms Mehmet Oz to Take Lead of Medicare and Medicaid Agency
