China and the European Union have responded to President Trump’s tariff campaign, with both announcing significant new tariffs on American imports.
China plans to raise tariffs on U.S. goods from 34% to 84% starting April 10, according to a translated statement from the Office of the Tariff Commission of the State Council. The move comes in retaliation for the United States’ latest tariff increase on Chinese goods, which jumped to 104% at midnight following an additional 50% hike ordered by Trump.
The White House unveiled its sweeping trade policy last week, cautioning countries against retaliation. In 2024, the United States exported $143.5 billion in goods to China and imported $438.9 billion, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
“It’s unfortunate that the Chinese actually don’t want to come and negotiate,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday in an interview with Fox Business. “They are the worst offenders in the international trading system… and I can tell you that this escalation is a loser for them.” The administration has framed the new tariffs, which also include levies on Canada and Mexico, as part of a broader crackdown on trade abuses and fentanyl trafficking.
European Union member states have endorsed a plan by the European Commission to respond to Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum with their own countermeasures. “Today’s vote of approval by Member States means that — once the Commission’s internal procedures are concluded, and the implementing act published — countermeasures will enter into force,” the Commission stated. Duties on U.S. goods are set to begin on April 15.
