China struck back at the United States on Tuesday by announcing tariffs on select American goods, as they rolled out a series of retaliatory measures to counteract the 10% U.S. tariffs on all Chinese goods that went into effect on Tuesday.
The move came as the deadline passed for Trump’s 10% tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the United States. In the days since Trump’s announcement, China had said the tariffs on their exports amounted to a serious violation of World Trade Organization rules, with officials adding that the tariffs were “of a bad nature.” The Beijing’s commerce officials said Tuesday that The U.S. tariffs were “typical unilateralism and trade protectionism. The U.S. practice seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system, undermines the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between China and the United States and disrupts the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain.”
China announced a series of measures including its own levies of 10% to 15% on some U.S. products, with some U.S. goods imported into China subject to tariffs of up to 15%. Chinese officials said they would on Feb. 10 impose a 15% tariff on U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas, along with a 10% tariff on other products, including crude oil, agricultural machinery and pickup trucks. The Chinese announcement came minutes after the U.S. tariff took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier in the week that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to talk in “the next couple days,” though it was unclear whether that discussion would happen prior to the Chinese tariffs going into effect next week.
Trump on Feb. 1 announced tariffs against the United States’ three largest trading partners — China, Mexico, and Canada — saying he would put in place 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, along with 10% tariffs on those from China. Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico announced on Monday that Trump’s administration had paused plans for both North American trading partners for a month.
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