Beijing (Web Desk/Agencies): China on Friday unveiled a series of countermeasures in response to the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, including an additional 34% tariff on all US goods and restrictions on the export of select rare earth materials, intensifying the trade conflict between the two nations.
The Chinese Ministry of Finance announced that the new tariffs would come into effect on April 10. "Trump on Wednesday announced that China would be hit with a 34pc tariff, on top of the 20pc he imposed earlier this year, bringing the total new levies to 54pc."
Agricultural trade was particularly impacted, with Chinese customs immediately halting the import of sorghum from the US exporter C&D (USA) Inc., alongside a suspension on poultry and bonemeal imports from three US companies.
In addition, Beijing imposed controls on the export of various medium and heavy rare-earths, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium, all destined for the US, which came into effect on April 4.
The Chinese government referred to the US's reciprocal tariffs as "one-sided 'bullying,'" stressing that they "violate international trade rules and harm China’s rights and interests," as reported by Anadolu Agency.
In an official statement, the commerce ministry stated, "The purpose of the Chinese government’s implementation of export controls on relevant items in accordance with the law is to better safeguard national security and interests, and to fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation."
Moreover, China added 16 US firms to its export control list, which restricts the transfer of dual-use technologies to the affected companies. An additional 11 US companies were included in China's "unreliable entities" list, which paves the way for punitive actions against these foreign firms.
Among those targeted were Skydio and BRINC Drones, both of which were accused of arms sales to Taiwan, a region that China claims as part of its territory.
The Chinese commerce ministry accused these companies of seriously "undermining" China’s sovereignty, security, and developmental interests, and announced that they would face restrictions on new investments, as well as import and export activities within China.
Additionally, China initiated an anti-dumping investigation into medical CT tube imports from the US and India, alongside a broader probe into the competitiveness of the medical CT tube industry.
The measures reflect China's growing use of economic and trade strategies to respond to perceived provocations from the US.
In its response to the US's trade policies, China condemned them as unjust, asserting that they "violate international trade norms and harm China's national interests."
The commerce ministry’s statement highlighted that the country’s actions were taken in defense of its economic sovereignty and national security.
With tariffs, export controls, and investigations now taking center stage, the trade war between the US and China shows no signs of abating, with both nations escalating their economic pressures on each other.
