U.S. President Threatens China with Additional 50% Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs of 50% on China if Beijing does not retract its retaliatory measures, as reported by RIA Novosti.

The Chinese State Council has announced that it will implement extra tariffs of 34% on all goods coming from the United States, effective April 10. This decision from the Chinese regulator is a response to similar actions taken by U.S. authorities.

"If China does not withdraw its 34% increase on long-standing abuses by tomorrow, the U.S. will implement additional tariffs of 50% on China starting April 9," he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.

According to the President, if the Chinese government fails to comply with this condition, negotiations with Beijing regarding their request for a meeting will cease.

"Negotiations with other countries that have requested meetings will proceed immediately," Trump added.

On the evening of April 2, President Trump announced the introduction of reciprocal tariffs on imports from other countries. This move has sparked outrage among many global leaders.

The President indicated that the baseline minimum tariff rate would be set at 10%, but the tariff for each country would be calibrated to half of the rate they impose on companies importing American goods.

Notably, Russia and Belarus are not included in the list of countries subject to these measures.

In Trump's view, the introduction of tariffs represents a declaration of economic independence for the United States and will help generate substantial funds to pay down the national debt.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen warned other nations against implementing retaliatory measures in response to American import tariffs, emphasizing that such actions could only escalate trade tensions.

Previously, the U.S. had already imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. Similar measures were taken against products from China, where the tariff rate was raised to 20%. Washington has explained that these actions aim to combat illegal immigration and fentanyl shipments.