BEIJING: China raised tariffs on US imports to 125% on Friday, retaliating against Washington’s latest move to hike duties on Chinese goods to 145%—a sharp escalation in the ongoing trade war that threatens to disrupt global supply chains and economic recovery.
The tit-for-tat measure follows US President Donald Trump’s decision to maintain tariff pressure on China while easing trade terms with dozens of other countries. The White House has paused most reciprocal duties elsewhere but imposed harsher penalties on the world’s second-largest economy and the second-biggest source of US imports.
Responding to the move, China’s Finance Ministry issued a strongly worded statement, condemning the US tariffs as “abnormally high” and describing them as a blatant violation of international trade norms. “The US imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international and economic trade rules, basic economic laws and common sense and is completely unilateral bullying and coercion,” the ministry said.
The European Union, which was spared in the latest US tariff hike, called the temporary pause a welcome step. Spanish trade officials described the decision as “appropriate,” while calling for renewed global efforts to de-escalate trade tensions.
With both Washington and Beijing now locked into aggressive tariff policies, fears are mounting over further disruption to global manufacturing, particularly in electronics, automotive, and heavy machinery—sectors deeply integrated across US-China supply lines.
