Egypt Daily News – China announced it would raise tariffs on American goods to 125 percent following President Donald Trump’s decision to increase tariffs on Chinese products to 145 percent. Beijing placed full blame on Washington for the “severe disruption” in the global economy.
On Friday, April 11, 2025, Beijing raised tariffs on U.S. imports to 125 percent in retaliation to Trump’s move. The increase comes as the White House continues to pressure the world’s second-largest economy—and America’s second-largest exporter—by announcing additional tariffs, even though it had previously suspended most of the retaliatory duties imposed on dozens of countries.
China’s State Council Tariff Commission said the new tariffs would take effect on Saturday. Meanwhile, Chinese state media reported that Beijing filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the new U.S. tariffs.
In a statement, China’s Ministry of Finance said, “The United States’ imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China severely violates international trade and economic rules, fundamental economic principles, and common sense. It represents bullying and unilateral coercion in every sense.”
Beijing held the U.S. “fully responsible” for the “intense disruption” in the global economy following Trump’s decision to raise tariffs.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce said the U.S. tariffs have caused “serious shocks and sharp disruptions” to the current global economy, markets, and multilateral trading systems. “The United States must bear full responsibility,” the spokesperson added.
The trade war between the U.S. and China has escalated with both countries repeatedly raising tariffs on each other’s imports.
Trump’s announced tariffs on Chinese goods now stand at 145 percent, which includes a new 125 percent hike announced Wednesday, on top of an earlier 20 percent tariff previously imposed.
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce dismissed the U.S. tariffs, calling them “a meaningless numbers game with no practical economic value.” He added, “All it does is further expose the coercion exercised by the United States. This will become a joke.”
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the European Union to join China in “resisting coercive policies” amid the tariff war with Washington, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency.
Speaking during a meeting in Beijing with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Xi said, “China and the EU should shoulder their international responsibilities, jointly protect economic globalization and the international business environment, and jointly resist unilateral coercive policies.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had earlier welcomed Trump’s temporary suspension of some tariffs, calling it “an important step toward stabilizing the global economy.”
She added that the EU remains committed to “constructive negotiations with the United States aimed at achieving smooth and mutually beneficial trade.”
