News Brief
US-China Trade Tensions Escalate As Trump Slaps 245 Per Cent Tariffs On Chinese Imports
US President Donald Trump (left) and Xi Xinping (right)
The Trump administration has imposed a 245 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports into the United States, escalating the trade war after Beijing’s retaliatory steps.
A White House fact sheet issued Tuesday (15 April) confirmed the move.
The White House statement said that on Liberation Day (2 April), US President Donald Trump imposed 10 per cent tariffs on all countries that impose a high tax on the United States.
Talks with over 75 countries led to a pause in most of these tariffs.
“The individualized higher tariffs are currently paused amid these discussions, except for China, which retaliated. China now faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions,” the White House said in its statement.
These tariffs, including the latest ones targeting China, stem from Trump’s “America First” approach to trade, launched with the Liberation Day tariff wave.
China retaliated with a 125 per cent duty on US imports and banned the export of certain goods used by aerospace manufacturers and military contractors.
Following the new 245 per cent tariffs, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated Beijing’s stance that the US started the trade war.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that Trump is willing to negotiate—but insisted China must initiate.
“The ball is in China’s court: China needs to make a deal with us, we don’t have to make a deal with them,” Leavitt told a press briefing, saying Trump had given her that statement directly in an Oval Office meeting to use.
“China wants what we have … the American consumer, or to put another way, they need our money,” Leavitt said.
