China Imposes 84% Retaliatory Tariffs on US Imports

On Wednesday 9 April 2025, the Chinese Embassy in Luxembourg issued a press release stating that China would increase additional tariffs on products imported from the United States to 84%, starting from Thursday 10 April 2025, according to an announcement from the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.

The announcement followed the US decision to raise its "reciprocal" tariffs on Chinese imports from an additional 34% to 84% - although the US has since raised this again.

Speaking about the initial increase, the Chinese commission described the move as "going further down the wrong path", adding that it "seriously infringes on China's legitimate rights and interests".

As reported by the Chinese Embassy, China has reiterated that "there is no winner in a trade war and protectionism leads nowhere. Pressuring and threatening are not the right way to engage with the country". China thus urged the US to "immediately correct its wrongdoings, cancel all unilateral tariff measures against China, stop its economic and trade suppression and settle differences with China properly through equal-footed dialogue on the basis of mutual respect".

The statement added that, should the US decide "not to care about" its own interests and those of the rest of the world, "and is determined to fight a tariff and trade war", then China would "continue to the end".

The Embassy emphasised that China remains nonetheless "ready to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, jointly oppose various forms of unilateralism and protectionism, defuse risks, address challenges and promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation".

Moreover, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper on Wednesday, titled "China's Position on Some Issues Concerning China-US Economic and Trade Relations". The Chinese government issued the document "to clarify the facts about China-US economic and trade releations and elaborate the position of the Chinese side on relevant issues", noted the Embassy.

Later on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced the decision to pause tariffs on many countries for 90 days - but to increase the tariff on Chinese imports from 104% to 125%. It remains to be seen whether China will again respond in kind.