Trump threatens 50% tariffs on China if Xi Jinping does not withdraw its 34% retaliatory tariffs

Trump has announced that he will add tariffs on China by another 50% if Beijing doesn’t stop putting retaliatory duties on US imports. Trump has given China until Tuesday to remove its 34% tariffs, which were put in place in response to the reciprocal duties announced at the White House last week.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “ If China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th.”

The Chinese government announced on Friday that it will put 34% tariffs on all US imports starting April 10. This is in line with a plan to fight back after US President Donald Trump started a global trade war. Trump added an extra 34% tax on all Chinese goods that are brought into the US on Wednesday. 

“This practice of the US is not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China’s legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice,” the Chinese government said.

China and the US have had a bad relationship even before Trump came into office. The gap between the two has been there for at least 30 years, and since 2000, trade with China has been the most unfair for the US. 

China is one of the main places where the US sends goods, but in 2024, China sent three times as many goods to the US compared to what the US sent to China.

All talks with China will be terminated

Trump also wrote that he would cancel all planned talks with China if they did not comply with his demand. He said, “Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!”

China told traders not to worry about Trump’s plans to raise tariffs on goods. It said it has a lot of policy options to protect the economy without ruling out talks with the US. The official People’s Daily said, “The sky won’t fall even though the US abuse of tariffs will cause some impact on us […] We must turn pressure into motivation.”

There is less chance of a deal between the world’s two biggest economies. This has caused financial markets to drop, and investors think that China may devalue the yuan against the dollar quickly.

In addition, in the past few weeks, Chinese officials have already tried to show that China is a safe haven for business and a stable economic partner and champion of the international economy that has made many countries richer.

In a statement on Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry said, “As the world’s second-largest economy and the second-largest consumer market, China will only continue to open its doors wider, regardless of the changing international landscape.” 

Trump is ready to make deals

Trump has also said that he is ready to discuss tariffs with other countries. He said, “Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately.” 

POTUS said that countries all over the world want to negotiate. For instance,  Indonesia’s chief economic minister said that instead of retaliating against the tariffs, the country would focus on diplomacy and negotiations to find answers that were good for both sides.

Japan said they have requested that the US government review its unilateral tariff measures at various levels. They said that they would do what is best for Japan.

Next, Malaysia has no plans to retaliate with tariffs. The country said that it would instead seek solutions that would uphold the spirit of free and fair trade. In addition, a top official said that Vietnam is ready to talk with the Trump administration about eliminating all tariffs on US imports.

The EU has also come out to agree with a suggestion that Musk made. The president of the EU said, “We stand ready to negotiate with the US. Indeed, we have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners.”

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