Cell telephones, chips and laptops get a reprieve from tariffs; China hikes tariffs on US items to 125%

China introduced Friday it should hike tariffs on US items to 125%, up from the beforehand deliberate 84%, in direct response to President Trump’s reciprocal tariff strikes. Beijing hinted it might draw a line below additional tariff hikes — even when Washington continues its escalations.

The Ministry of Finance of the Individuals’s Republic of China (MOF) stated: “The US alternately elevating abnormally excessive tariffs on China has change into a numbers recreation, which has no sensible financial significance, and can change into a joke within the historical past of the world economic system,” a Commerce Ministry spokesman stated in an announcement saying the countermeasure.

“At present tariff ranges, US exports to China are not commercially viable. If Washington continues its ‘tariff quantity recreation’, Beijing will ignore it. However ought to the US persist in inflicting actual hurt on China’s pursuits, China will reply forcefully and with out hesitation,” the MOF added.

This transfer represents one other intensification within the US-China commerce struggle, elevating considerations a few vital world financial downturn. Following President Trump’s announcement final week of broad “reciprocal” tariffs on all US buying and selling companions, China has been probably the most affected, with each nations escalating their tariff measures in retaliation.

As my Yahoo Finance colleague Ben Werschkul factors out, President Trump’s commerce struggle is now clearly centered on one nation: China.

This grew to become evident when the president put a pause on his plans for added “reciprocal” tariffs — excluding these focusing on China, the world’s second-largest economic system.

On Thursday, the White Home clarified that the whole base tariff on China is definitely 145%, surpassing the 125% initially reported and the determine Trump had hinted at on social media.

This up to date determine was revealed when the textual content of Trump’s govt order to “modify reciprocal tariff charges” was launched to the media on Thursday morning.

And now, China has hit again, rising tariffs on US items to 125%, escalating the continuing commerce struggle between the 2 nations.