China Responds Swiftly to Trump’s Tariffs with Immediate Countermeasures

China retaliates to Donald Trump’s tariffs just minutes after they take effect

As a result of President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese imports, President Xi Jinping has retaliated, which has precipitated the beginning of the trade war.

Following President Donald Trump’s decision to put tariffs on goods sent from the East Asian nation, China has responded by retaliating against the United States.

As part of his efforts to combat what the White House has referred to as a “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl,” the newly elected President of the United States of America has slapped tariffs.

A news release issued by the White House asserted that Chinese authorities had “failed to take the actions necessary to stem the flow of precursor chemicals to known criminal cartels and shut down money laundering by transnational criminal organisations.” This statement was made in reference to China in particular.

The day that President Trump initiated his trade war was February 4, 2024, and President Xi Jinping retaliated within minutes of the tariffs going into effect inside the same day.

What exactly are tariffs?

Tariffs are taxes that are imposed on foreign goods, which means that many of these goods will cost more to sell in the United States, which means that ultimately, the prices will be paid by the consumer.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, advanced countries have fallen out of favour with tariffs in the aftermath of World War II. This is due to the fact that tariffs frequently result in “reduced trade, higher prices for consumers, and retaliation from abroad.” This is exactly what we have witnessed from China.

On Saturday, February 1, President Trump signed an executive order that would impose tariffs of 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico. However, all energy resources from the United States’ northern neighbour would only be subject to a tariff of 10 percent. Additionally, an additional 10 percent tariff would be applied to goods that were shipped from China, and this tariff would go into effect today, February 4.

China’s reaction to the tariffs imposed by Trump

There are plans to impose tariffs of 15 percent on coal and liquified natural gas imported from the United States, as well as a duty of 10 percent on crude oil, farming equipment and some automobiles, according to the announcement made by China’s Ministry of Finance. These will become applicable on Monday, which is the 10th of February.

A declaration outlining the nation’s intentions to probe Google has also been issued by the government.

The following information appeared: “Because Google is suspected of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People’s Republic of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation has initiated an investigation into Google in accordance with the law.”

In the meantime, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and its Customs Administration asserted that they were also imposing export limits in order to “safeguard national security interests” on tellurium, molybdenum, tungsten, ruthenium, and products related to ruthenium.

A request for comment has been made to Google by UNILAD.

Why President Trump decided to put tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico

It is even considered a “national emergency” by the Republican, who asserts that Canada, Mexico, and China offer a “extraordinary threat” to the United States because of the large amount of “illegal aliens and drugs” that are being transported into the country.

In connection with China in particular, the White House stated: “In response to China’s intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer, and other unreasonable behaviour, President Trump acted with conviction to impose tariffs on imports from China, using that leverage to reach a historic bilateral economic agreement.”

The explanation for everything can be traced back to a speech that he delivered at a retreat held in Florida by the House GOP (Grand Old Party, often known as the Republican Party) towards the end of the previous month.

During that meeting, he made a commitment to abolish federal income taxes in favour of imposing tariffs on foreign countries, which he has already done with China.

Additionally, he promised to postpone the duties that were levied on the commodities that were exported from Canada and Mexico when both countries agreed to send more troops to the border.