China has announced a steep hike in tariffs on American imports, raising them from 34 per cent to 84 per cent, in a retaliatory move against fresh U.S. trade duties that took effect on Wednesday.
The increase, disclosed by China’s finance ministry, comes just hours after Washington implemented sweeping new tariffs targeting several countries.
This included a 104 per cent duty on select Chinese goods under President Donald Trump’s latest trade policy.
Beijing, which has consistently criticized tariff hikes, vowed to respond decisively.
In a statement, the finance ministry condemned the U.S. measures, accusing Washington of compounding “mistakes” and infringing on China’s legitimate rights.
The new tariffs will take effect from 12:01 p.m. Thursday.
China further argued that the escalating trade dispute undermines the multilateral, rules-based international trading system.
Meanwhile, the Chinese commerce ministry announced sanctions against six American AI companies, including Shield AI Inc. and Sierra Nevada Corp.
The firms are accused of supplying arms to Taiwan or engaging in military tech cooperation with the self-governed island.