Trump Threatens 104% Tariff on China if it Fails to Withdraw Retaliatory Tariff
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Apr 7: After denying that the US President was planning to suspend reciprocal tariffs for 90 days for all countries except China, Mr Donald Trump on Monday threatened huge additional tariffs on imports from China if Beijing did not withdraw its retaliatory 34% tariffs, adding that Washington would begin negotiations with other countries if they wish.
Mr Trump slammed China for issuing retaliatory tariffs despite his warning that any additional tariffs would be immediately met with new and substantially higher tariffs which could be as high as 104% and effective from April 9. He said all talks with China would be terminated and negotiations with other countries would begin immediately.
“If China does not withdraw its 34 percent increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50 percent, effective April 9th,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
The White House confirmed to media that new tariffs threatened by Trump would add to the 34% rate that is expected to come into effect on Wednesday, taking the overall additional duties this year to a massive 104%.
Global markets plunged Monday after Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The US stock market also suffered after China announced retaliatory tariffs on US goods, escalating a trade war that has rattled investors around the world. However, Trump doubled down on his tariffs and cautioned against “stupid” panic.
Trump had slapped 10% import duties on all nations and far higher levies on imports from dozens of specific countries, including top trade partners China and the European Union.
In an earlier post, Trump said, “They’ve (China) made enough, for decades, taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA!”, while blaming previous American administrations for enabling what he described as unfair trade practices. Calling China “the biggest abuser of them all,” the Republican also claimed Chinese markets were “crashing” in the face of global economic headwinds.
China on Monday accused the United States unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying, saying Washington was aiming for “hegemony in the name of reciprocity” through its massive tariffs programme.
“Putting ‘America First’ over international rules is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters, adding that these tariffs threaten the development rights of nations worldwide, particularly those in the Global South.
The additional 34% tariffs on a 20% rate imposed on China last month brought the total additional tariffs on imports from the world’s second-largest economy by the Trump administration to 54%. Following China’s retaliatory tariffs, Trump goaded Beijing by saying it had “panicked” and said they “played it wrong.”
The US and China are each other’s top trading partners, with sales of Chinese goods in the United States totalling over $500 billion last year, which constitutes 16.4% of the country’s exports. However, China has been struggling with a long-running debt crisis in the real estate sector and low consumption that has hampered its economic recovery.
Earlier in the day, the White House rejected reports claiming that Mr Trump was planning to suspend reciprocal tariffs for 90 days for all countries except China. It said the White House Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett was misquoted in issuing the report.
