China will impose 84% tariffs on U.S. goods from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced, its finance ministry said on Wednesday, firing the latest salvo in a global trade war sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of countries took effect earlier on Wednesday, including massive 104% duties on Chinese goods. The European Union is also preparing its own retaliatory measures for later on Wednesday.
Trump’s punishing tariffs – which he says aim to end U.S. trade deficits with many countries – have upended a global trading order in place for decades, raising fears of recession and wiping trillions of dollars off the market value of major firms.
Global markets took a pummelling on Wednesday as Trump’s eye-watering 104% tariffs on China came into effect, and a savage selloff in U.S. bonds sparked fears that foreign funds were fleeing U.S. assets.
Markets fell further after China retaliated. European shares extended their losses. Oil prices plunged to even deeper four-year lows and U.S. stock index futures fell sharply.
As it announced its new tariffs, China’s finance ministry said in a statement: “The U.S. escalation of tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake, which seriously infringes on China’s legitimate rights and interests and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system.”
Beijing also imposed restrictions on 18 U.S. companies, mostly in defence-related industries, adding to the 60 or so American firms punished over Trump’s tariffs.
‘GAME OF CHICKEN’
China’s move to impose 84% retaliatory tariffs is a losing proposition for Beijing, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
“I think it’s unfortunate that the Chinese actually don’t want to come and negotiate, because they are the worst offenders in the international trading system,” he told Fox Business Network.
This week had already brought crisis-era volatility to markets, wiping trillions of dollars off the value of stocks and hammering commodities and emerging markets.
U.S. Treasuries were also caught up in the market turmoil and extended heavy losses in a sign investors are dumping even their safest assets, and the dollar, a traditional safe haven, was weaker against other major currencies.
“The U.S. and China are stuck in an unprecedented, and expensive, game of chicken, and it seems that both sides are unwilling to back down,” said Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura.
Trump nearly doubled duties on Chinese imports, which had been set at 54% last week, in response to previous counter-tariffs from Beijing.
(Reuters)
