Trump imposes punitive tariffs Now China counters with countermeasures
Unlike with Mexico and Canada, there was no last-minute agreement with Beijing. Now China is announcing retaliatory tariffs.
04.02.2025, 07:06
04.02.2025, 07:12
dpa
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- China is responding to new US tariffs with counter-tariffs of up to 15% on coal, liquefied natural gas, oil and machinery as well as an antitrust investigation against Google.
- The new tariffs come into force on February 10, while the US tariffs against China already took effect on February 4.
- A new trade war between the two largest economies is looming, which is putting additional pressure on China's export industry.
In response to the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports from China, the People's Republic has responded with counter-tariffs. According to the Ministry of Finance in Beijing, additional tariffs of 15 percent are to be imposed on coal and liquefied natural gas from the USA. An additional tariff of ten percent is to apply to oil and agricultural machinery.
The tariffs are to come into force on February 10. Beijing also announced an antitrust investigation into the US technology giant Google.
The deadline for averting new US tariffs against China had expired shortly beforehand on Tuesday. The White House announced on Saturday that the tariffs of an additional ten percent on Chinese imports would take effect on February 4 shortly after midnight Washington time (around 6 a.m. German time).
In contrast to Mexico and Canada, which reached an agreement with US President Donald Trump shortly before the tariffs came into force to suspend their introduction for 30 days, there was initially no such agreement with China.
Trump announces talks with Beijing
However, Trump stated on Monday that talks would be held with the Chinese side "probably in the next 24 hours". He had previously justified the tariff plans against China, Mexico and Canada by stating that these countries were not doing enough to combat the production and export of illegal fentanyl and its precursor chemicals.
In an initial reaction to the announced US tariffs, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced "countermeasures" and a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the weekend.
Chinese economy under pressure
The two largest economies are threatening to head towards a new trade war like the one in 2018, when Trump also triggered a conflict by imposing tariffs during his first term of office. At that time, a process was set in motion in which China and the US imposed more and more tariffs on each other over a period of two years.
The higher US tariffs are a burden on China's export economy, as they make Chinese goods more expensive and therefore less competitive on the US market.
