China slaps 34% retaliatory tariff on the U.S., says Trump's levy 'seriously violates' world trade rules

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 7:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

China announced Friday that it volition enforce a 34 per cent tariff connected imports of each U.S. products opening April 10, portion of a flurry of retaliatory measures pursuing U.S. President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" slate of double-digit tariffs. 

The caller tariff matches the complaint of the U.S. "reciprocal" tariff of 34 per cent connected Chinese exports Trump ordered this week. The Commerce Ministry successful Beijing besides said successful a announcement that it volition enforce much export controls connected uncommon earths, which are materials utilized successful high-tech products specified arsenic machine chips and electrical conveyance batteries. 

Additionally, the Chinese authorities said it has added 27 firms to lists of companies taxable to commercialized sanctions oregon export controls. Among them, 16 are taxable to a prohibition connected the export of "dual-use" goods. High Point Aerotechnologies, a defence tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publically traded proscription and logistics company, were among those listed.

Beijing besides announced it filed a suit with the World Trade Organization implicit the tariffs issue. 

"The United States' imposition of alleged 'reciprocal tariffs' earnestly violates WTO rules, earnestly damages the morganatic rights and interests of WTO members, and earnestly undermines the rules-based multilateral trading strategy and planetary economical and commercialized order," the Commerce Ministry said. "It is simply a emblematic unilateral bullying signifier that endangers the stableness of the planetary economical and commercialized order. China firmly opposes this," it said. 

LISTEN | Eric Miller, planetary commercialized consultant, talks imaginable tariff impacts connected Front Burner:

Chinese tariffs connected U.S. coal, earthy gas

In February, China announced a 15 per cent tariff connected imports of ember and liquefied earthy state products from the U.S. It separately added a 10 per cent tariff connected crude oil, cultivation machinery and large-engine cars. The latest tariffs use to each products made successful the U.S., according to a connection from the Ministry of Finance's State Council Tariff Commission.

Trump's latest tariff hikes connected U.S. imports are compelling countries and industries to scramble for footing and raising fears of a planetary recession.

"The caller announcements volition person important implications for planetary commercialized and economical maturation prospects," the World Trade Organization said successful a connection connected Thursday. "While the concern is rapidly evolving, our archetypal estimates suggest that these measures, coupled with those introduced since the opening of the year, could pb to an wide contraction of astir one per cent successful planetary merchandise commercialized volumes this year, representing a downward revision of astir 4 percent points from erstwhile projections."

While China was deed with important tariffs, it is an unfastened question if different Asian countries could instrumentality vantage of the concern successful commercialized with the U.S. Washington deed India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam with tariffs of betwixt 27 per cent to 49 per cent.

Days earlier the Trump announcement, China, Japan and South Korea held their archetypal dialog unneurotic successful 5 years.

At the meeting, the countries' commercialized ministers agreed to velocity up talks connected a South Korea-Japan-China escaped commercialized statement woody to beforehand "regional and planetary trade," according to a connection released aft the meeting.

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