By Deborah Nnamdi
China officially began enforcing its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods on Thursday, imposing an additional 84% duty on imports from the United States.
This action follows an escalation in trade tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a new plan to increase tariffs on Chinese imports to 125%.
In response, Chinese officials rejected the U.S. approach, accusing Washington of blackmail and vowing to resist pressure in the ongoing trade dispute.
As the standoff with the U.S. intensifies, China is seeking to strengthen ties with other global partners.
On Tuesday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a phone call with EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič to discuss matters including the expansion of China-EU economic relations.
According to a Chinese statement, Wang criticized the U.S. tariff strategy, calling it detrimental to global trade, and emphasized the need for cooperation to uphold the rules-based multilateral system.
The statement also mentioned that China and the EU agreed to begin discussions on market access and improving the business environment for companies.
China remains one of the EU’s most important trading partners. In 2024, it was the bloc’s third-largest export destination and its top source of imports.
However, the EU continued to face a significant trade deficit with China, which reached approximately 300 billion euros (329 billion dollars) last year.
Meanwhile, tariffs on imports from certain other countries have been temporarily suspended.
To date, Beijing has not officially responded to the latest U.S. tariff measures.
