Beijing — On Tuesday, China declared its intention to “fight to the end” and implement countermeasures against the United States in defense of its interests, following President Trump’s threat of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports. The Commerce Ministry criticized the U.S. for imposing “so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs'” on China, labeling it as “completely groundless” and a typical act of unilateral bullying.
As the world’s second-largest economy, China has already enacted retaliatory tariffs and hinted at the possibility of further actions in its recent statement.
According to the ministry, “The countermeasures China has undertaken are aimed at protecting its sovereignty, security, and developmental interests, while maintaining the normal international trade order. They are entirely legitimate.” The ministry also stated, “The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake compounded by another mistake, revealing the blackmailing nature of the U.S. China will never accept such actions. If the U.S. persists, China will fight until the end.”
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President Trump’s threat on Monday concerning further tariffs on China has sparked renewed fears that his efforts to rebalance the global economy could lead to a financially devastating trade war. Stock markets across cities from Tokyo to New York have experienced increased instability as the tariff conflict escalates, with economists warning that the risk of a global recession is quickly rising.
This threat from Mr. Trump followed China’s announcement of its intentions to retaliate against U.S. tariffs that he declared the previous week.
“If China does not retract its 34% increase due to their long-standing trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th,” the president shared on his Truth Social platform. “Furthermore, all discussions between us and China regarding their requested meetings will be terminated!”
Should Mr. Trump enforce these new tariffs on Chinese goods, U.S. tariffs on Chinese products would climb to an overall rate of 104%. These new taxes would stack on top of the previously announced 20% tariffs targeting fentanyl trafficking, as well as his separate 34% tariffs disclosed last week. This could potentially raise prices for American consumers and encourage China to inundate other nations with cheaper goods while forging stronger ties with alternative trading partners, especially within the European Union.
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged China to engage with the EU to develop solutions to the global challenges posed by the sweeping U.S. tariffs.
In a telephone conversation with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on Tuesday, Von der Leyen “emphasized the shared responsibility of Europe and China as two of the world’s largest markets to uphold a robust, reformed trading system that is free, fair, and built on a level playing field,” as stated by her office.
The statement indicated that the leaders discussed creating a mechanism to monitor any redirection of goods resulting from the U.S. tariffs, amid worries in Europe that China might attempt to reroute inexpensive exports initially intended for the U.S. to the EU market. Such redirection could be classified as “dumping” in international trade, which can overwhelm a market with underpriced goods, disadvantaging domestic producers and sellers.
On the streets of Beijing, residents expressed their struggle to keep up with the myriad announcements, yet maintained confidence in their country’s resilience.
“Trump changes his stance daily. Ultimately, he seeks advantages, so he says whatever suits him,” remarked Wu Qi, 37, a construction worker.
“I’m not particularly concerned,” Wu added. “Our nation is unafraid. Naturally, the objective should be to minimize harm to ordinary citizens.”
Experts note that China retains various options for counteracting Washington’s actions, including halting cooperation on fentanyl issues, imposing tighter quotas on agricultural imports, and targeting U.S. services trade in China, such as finance and legal services.
The total value of U.S. goods trade with China reached an estimated $582 billion in 2024, making it the largest trade partner with the U.S. The deficit in goods and services trade between the U.S. and China was between $263 billion and $295 billion in 2024.
