Heaptalk, Jakarta — Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new import tariffs, China responded with a firm rejection (04/04).
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced an additional 34% tariff on all products from the United States, effective from April 10, 2025, as reported by Unilad. The Chinese government stated that the U.S. should cease using tariffs as a means to suppress China’s economy and trade, as quoted by the state-run news agency Xinhua.
China also imposed export restrictions on some rare earth materials. These materials are critical components in the production of high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. This move is expected to escalate the trade war between the two largest economies in the world.
Additionally, the Chinese government has filed an official complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding Trump’s tariff policy. In an official statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce called these latest import tariffs a “serious violation of WTO rules, undermining the rules-based multilateral trading system and the global order,” as quoted by Kontan. The Chinese government also described the U.S. move as unilateral bullying that threatens global trade stability.
Marking the biggest losses since the pandemic
Global stock markets plunged after China’s retaliation and Trump’s comments on Friday, when he stated that he would not change his policy direction, extending the sharp losses that followed Trump’s initial tariff announcement earlier in the week. This marked the most considerable losses since the pandemic, as reported by Reuters.
Trump unveiled a reciprocal tariff policy aimed at rebalancing global trade flows by imposing an additional ad valorem duty on all imports from all trading partners. Claimed to be part of Liberation Day (04/02), these import tariffs take effect at 10% on April 5, 2025.
The 34% additional tariff on Chinese goods is part of a more significant tariff imposed on most of the U.S.’s trade partners, bringing the total duties on China this year to 54%. He also closed a trade loophole that allowed low-value packages from China to enter the U.S. duty-free.
