National Times Bureau (Rajeev Sharma), April 4, 2025: US President Donald Trump has imposed import tariffs on China totalling 54%, but that figure didn’t come all at once. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%. Then earlier this week, Washington brought in a new set of “reciprocal” tariffs for countries around the world and the rate for China is 34%. It means China’s retaliatory tariff matches the one Trump introduced earlier this week.
China files lawsuit against US tariffs with WTO and China’s response to US tariffs, after Beijing says it’s hitting back with a 34% tariff on American goods. A spokesperson at the ministry of commerce says China has also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The US-imposed tariff “seriously violates WTO rules, damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and the international economic and trade order,” the spokesperson says. “It is a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order. China firmly opposes this. China says it has added 16 US entities to its “export control” list, claiming they have “behaviours that may endanger China’s national security and interests”. This move bans the export of dual use items goods, software and technology that can be used for both civilian and military purposes to those entities. China has also suspended the export qualifications of six US companies, citing food safety concerns
