The United States will levy additional 50% tariffs on China starting Wednesday if China doesn't withdraw its plans for a 34% retaliatory duty, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday.
China has until Tuesday to back down from new tariffs on U.S. imports that are currently set to go into effect on Thursday, according to Trump. China unveiled the duties following Trump's announcement last week of 34% tariffs against the country as part of a reciprocal trade strategy, escalating the two nations’ ongoing trade war.
"Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!" Trump said in the post. "Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately."
In total, the U.S. will impose a 104% tariff on China, effective Wednesday, if the two countries do not make a deal Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing. The statement indicates the new 50% increase would stack on the 34% tariffs announced last week and the two 10% hikes Trump implemented in February and March.
If Trump imposes the additional 50% tariff, China will respond with countermeasures and continue fighting, according to a spokesperson for the country’s Ministry of Commerce. Specific details on what the countermeasures would entail weren’t provided. All unilateral tariff measures against China should also be canceled, the spokesperson added.
Trump warned in his post that any country that retaliates against the U.S. with additional tariffs will face "new and substantially higher" duties over those initially set by his administration. Country and region-specific tariffs against nearly 60 U.S. trading partners including China, the European Union and Japan will take effect Wednesday, following a 10% universal baseline duty implemented on Saturday.
The U.S.’ trade relationship with China continues to face scrutiny under the Trump administration. It finalized a trade policy review last week saying China has not lived up to its side of a 2020 trade deal between the two countries.
China, meanwhile, has levied tariffs this year on various U.S. agricultural products in addition to certain car, equipment and energy imports following previous actions from the Trump administration. It has also rolled out export controls on 16 U.S. entities and placed 11 U.S. companies on its “Unreliable Entity List.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from China’s Ministry of Commerce and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
