President Donald Trump’s sweeping 104% tariff on all Chinese language imports formally took impact on April 9, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt introduced the day before today.
In response, China issued a pointy assertion, calling the transfer “a mistake upon a mistake” and labeling the tariffs as acts of “unilateralism, protectionism, and financial bullying.”
“The affect on China is especially that Chinese language merchandise have nowhere to go,” stated Wang Yuesheng, director of the Institute of Worldwide Economics at Peking College. He warned that export-driven firms alongside China’s jap seaboard—producing items like furnishings, clothes, toys, and residential home equipment—can be among the many hardest hit. “These firms can be hit very laborious,” he added.
Under, we break down what this escalating commerce conflict means for each economies—and what the U.S. truly sells to China.
What Is a Tariff?
A tariff is a tax imposed by a authorities on imported items. It’s used to make international merchandise dearer, encouraging customers to purchase home alternate options. Tariffs will also be a software for political leverage or to guard nationwide industries.
What Does China Import from the U.S.?
As of 2025, China continues to import a spread of products from the US, regardless of escalating tariff tensions. Oilseeds and grains stay the highest U.S. exports to China, adopted carefully by oil and fuel. Key agricultural merchandise embody hen, corn, soybeans, and fruit—lots of which at the moment are topic to a 10-15% tariff beneath the most recent commerce measures.
Timeline: Trump and China’s Tariff Escalation
February 1: President Trump signed an government order imposing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, together with a ten% tariff on Chinese language items.
February 4: The ten% tariffs on Chinese language imports took impact. Nevertheless, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on the Mexico and Canada tariffs. In response, China introduced a sequence of retaliatory measures, together with extra tariffs on U.S. merchandise.
March 10: China imposed new tariffs primarily focusing on American agricultural exports.
April 4: China’s Finance Ministry introduced a 34% tariff on U.S. imports, mirroring Trump’s proposed 34% tariff on Chinese language items.
April 7: Trump threatened a further 50% tariff on Chinese language imports, on high of the prevailing and proposed measures. The tariffs are cumulative—elevating whole duties on some Chinese language items to 104%—with the brand new charge taking impact on April 9.
“Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on high of their already report setting Tariffs, Non-Financial Tariffs, Unlawful Subsidization of firms, and large long run Forex Manipulation, regardless of my warning that any nation that Retaliates in opposition to the U.S. by issuing extra Tariffs, above and past their already current long run Tariff abuse of our Nation, can be instantly met with new and considerably larger Tariffs, over and above these initially set,” Trump wrote through Reality Social on April 7. “Subsequently, if China doesn’t withdraw its 34% enhance above their already long run buying and selling abuses by tomorrow, April eighth, 2025, the US will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of fifty%, efficient April ninth. Moreover, all talks with China regarding their requested conferences with us can be terminated! Negotiations with different international locations, which have additionally requested conferences, will start going down instantly. Thanks in your consideration to this matter!”
