The U.S.-China trade war heated up on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China soared to a total of 104 percent and China retaliated by announcing an 84 percent levy on U.S. goods.
China furiously denounced Trump’s tariffs as “hegemonic” and called on the world to unite against Trump’s “bullying.”
The Chinese Finance Ministry announced the 84 percent retaliatory tariff on Wednesday, several hours ahead of an expected retaliation from the European Union.
China said it was “inevitable” that it would run a trade surplus against the United States, and it has the “determination and means” to keep fighting back against Trump’s tariffs.
The Customs Tariff Commission of China’s State Council — which is effectively the Chinese cabinet — said Trump’s tariff escalation was a “mistake on top of a mistake,” infringes upon “China’s legitimate rights and interests,” and “gravely undermines the rules‑based multilateral trading system.”
“China urges the U.S. to immediately correct its wrong practices, cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, and properly resolve differences with China through equal dialogue on the basis of mutual respect,” the Customs Tariff Commission said.
In addition to raising its own tariffs, China’s retaliation included adding 12 U.S. entities to its export control list.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry said the new export controls on “dual-use” products, which could have military applications, were necessary to “safeguard national security interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation.”
“These entities may engage in activities that may endanger China’s national security and interests, and any export operator shall not violate the above provisions,” the ministry said.
Six of the newly-designated “unreliable entities” were American tech companies, including Shield AI Inc., Sierra Nevada Corporation, Cyberlux Corporation, Edge Autonomy Operations LLC, Group W, and Hudson Technologies Company. The activity that allegedly made them “unreliable” was selling military technology to Taiwan.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday furiously denounced Trump’s latest tariff increase as a “hegemonic and bullying move.”
“If the U.S. truly wants to settle the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should let people see that they’re ready to treat others with equality, respect, and mutual benefit,” said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
“If the U.S. decides not to care about the interests of the U.S. itself, China and the rest of the world, and is determined to fight a tariff and trade war, China’s response will continue to the end,” he threatened.
When Chinese state media agency Xinhua chimed in to (falsely) hail the Chinese economy as a “strong magnet for foreign investment,” Lin took the planted question as an opportunity to call upon the rest of the world to rally beside Beijing against Trump.
“China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, jointly oppose various forms of unilateralism and protectionism, defuse risks, address challenges, and promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization,” he said.
