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Topics: China, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: China, Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Donald Trump has condemned China for ignoring his 'warning for abusing countries not to retaliate' against the US tariffs.
On April 2, Trump unveiled major new tariffs inflicted on goods from across the globe, dubbing it 'Liberation Day' for America , 'remembered as the day the American industry was reborn'.
Alongside slapping a 25 percent tariff on all foreign-made automobiles and a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries - except those compliant with the USMCA free trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the US - Trump is charging non-compliant countries 25 percent, with UK imports at 10 percent, and EU goods at a 20 percent tariff.
However, other countries, the so-called 'worst offenders', were hit with reciprocal tariffs too; China landed itself a tariff of a staggering 54 percent.
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While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned countries against retaliation, China didn't hold back - adding a 34 percent tariff on US goods from April 10.
A spokesperson at the ministry of commerce revealed China is also taking legal action over the US' tariffs, the nation filing a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) amid claims that Trump's tariffs 'seriously violates WTO rules' and 'undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system and the international economic and trade order'.
Alas, Trump has since hit back, taking to Truth Social much more concerned with how the tariffs are impacting the US rather than the global economy.
He wrote: "Oil prices are down, interest rates are down (the slow moving Fed should cut rates!), food prices are down, there is NO INFLATION, and the long time abused USA is bringing in Billions of Dollars a week from the abusing countries on Tariffs that are already in place.
"This is despite the fact that the biggest abuser of them all, China, whose markets are crashing, just raised its Tariffs by 34 percent, on top of its long term ridiculously high Tariffs (Plus!), not acknowledging my warning for abusing countries not to retaliate.
He continued: "They’ve made enough, for decades, taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA! Our past “leaders” are to blame for allowing this, and so much else, to happen to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Foreign affairs spokesman Lin Jian also condemned the US for its latest tariffs move, telling reporters the US putting itself 'first over international rules is a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying'.
Arguing the tariffs harm global supply chains and could seriously impact the world's economic recovery, he continued: "Pressure and threats are not the way to deal with China. China will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests."