Although U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended tariffs on various countries for the next three months, China has been excluded from this list. Instead, Trump announced on Wednesday that tariffs on Chinese goods would be raised to 125%.
However, a new document released by the White House on Thursday reveals updated information about the tariff hike specifically targeting Chinese products. According to the document, the U.S. has now increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. This information has been confirmed by the French news agency AFP.
The White House document indicates that while Trump’s 90-day reciprocal tariff suspension for several countries has taken effect from Thursday, the tariffs on Chinese goods have been further increased.
Initially, the tariff was set at 125%, but an additional 20% has now been added, bringing the total tariff on Chinese imports to 145%.
A spokesperson from China’s Ministry of Commerce stated that if Trump continues with this “insulting” tariff policy, China will “fight till the end.” On April 9, China raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 84% in response.
Back in March of this year, Trump first imposed a 20% export tariff on all types of Chinese goods. Then on April 2, he announced the tariff rate would be increased to 34%.
In a retaliatory move, Beijing imposed a 34% tariff on U.S. goods the following day. This angered Trump, who then posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on April 7, warning that if Beijing didn’t withdraw its tariffs by April 8, the U.S. would increase tariffs on all Chinese goods by another 50%. This threat took effect from April 9.
As Beijing did not comply with Trump’s ultimatum, the increased tariffs on Chinese products came into effect on Wednesday, pushing the total U.S. tariff on Chinese imports to 145%.