China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Goods to 125% as Trade War Intensifies
Beijing, April 12 : China has announced it will increase tariffs on a wide range of American goods from 84% to 125%, a move that significantly escalates its trade dispute with the United States. The new tariffs, which go into effect Saturday, are part of an ongoing tit-for-tat trade battle that has rattled financial markets and triggered growing fears of a global economic slowdown.
While the U.S. paused some tariffs for other nations earlier this week, President Trump pushed forward with additional levies on Chinese imports. Cumulatively, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods now total 145%. China responded by calling the policy “economic bullying,” and vowed to fight back.
A spokesperson for China’s Finance Ministry said in a statement, “If the U.S. continues to violate China’s economic interests, we will respond decisively. These repeated tariff increases will go down as a joke in the history of the world economy.”
China’s Commerce Ministry also confirmed it will file another formal complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the U.S. tariffs.
During a diplomatic meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated the country’s longstanding approach of self-reliance and resilience. “There are no winners in a tariff war,” Xi said, according to state media outlet CCTV. “For over 70 years, China has developed through its own efforts and has never depended on handouts.”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi echoed this stance in a separate meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, stating that China’s resistance to U.S. tariffs is part of a broader mission to protect global economic order. “We will work with the international community to oppose all forms of economic coercion,” Wang said.
Economists have warned that the continued escalation in tariffs between the U.S. and China—the world’s two largest economies—could lead to a global recession. Markets reacted sharply to the news, though there was brief relief earlier this week when the U.S. delayed tariffs for some allies.
“The risk of this trade war tipping the world into recession is increasing,” said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. “With each new round of tariffs, we move closer to real economic consequences.”
The newly imposed Chinese tariffs will target major U.S. exports such as soybeans, pharmaceuticals, aircraft components, and medical products. Additionally, Beijing has halted imports of sorghum, poultry, and bonemeal from select American firms, and tightened restrictions on the export of rare earth elements vital to the tech sector.
On the U.S. side, tariffs now apply to Chinese electronics like computers and smartphones, industrial equipment, and consumer goods. Businesses and consumers in the U.S. are likely to face higher prices in the coming weeks.
Despite concerns, President Trump has defended the tariffs as a strategy to strengthen American manufacturing and bring jobs back to the U.S.—a goal economists say may take years to materialize, if at all.
