In a move that escalates the trade war between the world’s two biggest economic powers, China has raised its retaliatory tariffs on US imports from 84% to 125%.
The State Council Tariff Commission disclosed this in a statement on Friday, April 11, 2025.
According to a statement from a Commerce Ministry spokesperson, Beijing appeared to indicate that it wouldn’t increase its tariffs on US goods beyond the 125%.
The Spokesperson stated, “The successive imposition of excessively high tariffs on China by the US has become nothing more than a numbers game, with no real economic significance.”
“It merely further exposes the US practice of weaponizing tariffs as a tool of bullying and coercion, turning itself into a joke.
“If the US insists on continuing this numbers game with tariffs, China will not engage. However, if the US persists in substantively harming China’s interests, China will resolutely take countermeasures and fight to the end.”
Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesperson
Beijing appeared to take some credit for Trump’s decision to give the rest of the world, with the exception of China, a 90-day pause on his tariffs.
“We have noticed that, under pressure from China and other parties, the US has temporarily postponed the imposition of high reciprocal tariffs on certain trading partners. This is merely a symbolic and minor step, but it does not change the fundamental nature of the US’s use of trade coercion to pursue its own interests.”
Chinese Commerce Ministry Spokesperson
Xi Addresses US Tariff War For The First Time
Chinese leader, Xi Jinping struck a defiant tone in his first public comments on the trade war with the US that has tanked international markets and fueled fears of a global recession.
He said his nation is “not afraid”
Xi told Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez in Beijing, “There are no winners in a trade war, and going against the world will only lead to self-isolation.”
“For over 70 years, China’s development has relied on self-reliance and hard work — never on handouts from others, and it is not afraid of any unjust suppression.
“Regardless of how the external environment changes, China will remain confident China will remain confident, stay focused, and concentrate on managing its own affairs well.”
Xi Jinping
According to reports, Trump is waiting for Xi to reach out and has told his team that the US will not make the first move; but Beijing has repeatedly refused to arrange a leader-level phone call.
Rather than calling Trump to negotiate tariffs, Xi has instead launched a week of high-stakes diplomacy with other trade partners to push back against the escalating trade war.
His meeting with Spain’s Sanchez comes ahead of a multi-nation tour next week of Southeast Asia – a region heavily targeted by Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs before they were put on pause.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi will visit Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia in his first foreign trip this year.
Though such high-level meetings typically take weeks or even months to plan, the timing of the announcements – just days after the two economic superpowers imposed record-high tariffs on each other – underscores Xi’s message that China is not backing down.
The Chinese leader is seeking to capitalize on the turmoil sparked by Trump’s tariff whiplash to deepen ties with nations from Asia to Europe, casting China as a reliable partner and defender of global trade.
Sanchez, who is on his third visit to China in two years, is likely the first in a flurry of European leaders heading to Beijing amid the global economic uncertainty unleashed by Trump.
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