The company US President Trump orders higher tariffs on China
US President Donald Trump has issued a decree doubling the import duties on goods from China that were imposed in February. The punitive duties would be increased from 10 percent to 20 percent, according to an amended order.
04.03.2025, 00:42
SDA
It is not clear from the text published by the White House when the new tariffs are to come into force. In a press conference, Trump had previously said that the increase would apply from Tuesday. The Republican justified the measure by stating that the drug fentanyl, which is produced in China, continues to be smuggled into the USA.
At the beginning of February, the US government imposed tariffs of 10 percent on all goods from China - in addition to tariffs that the USA had already imposed previously. Beijing responded with counter-tariffs of 15 percent on coal and liquefied natural gas from the USA. An additional tariff of 10 percent was imposed on oil and agricultural machinery from the United States.
Trump's latest move comes as no surprise. He had already repeatedly held out the prospect of increasing the tariffs to 20 percent - and China has already threatened to take countermeasures as a precaution. The two largest economies are at risk of heading towards a new trade war like the one in 2018, when Trump also triggered a conflict by imposing tariffs during his first term of office.
