Beijing, April 11, 2025 – China struck back hard Thursday, imposing an additional 125% tariff on US imports just 48 hours after President Donald Trump’s 104% levy on Chinese goods kicked in, escalating a trade war that’s now a full-on slugfest. Announced at midnight China Standard Time, Beijing’s retaliatory duties—stacked atop existing rates—target American cars, soybeans, and tech, defying a White House plea Wednesday to “not retaliate.”
The move, reported by Hindustan Times, follows Trump’s 90-day tariff pause for 75 nations like India, leaving China isolated at 104%—with threats of 125% if Beijing didn’t bend. “We’re forced to act—US coercion leaves no choice,” China’s Commerce Ministry said, per The Indian Express. Exports to the US, already down 10% in 2024, face a chokehold now—think $50 billion in goods like Ford SUVs and Qualcomm chips (Bloomberg). Premier Li Qiang’s vowed resilience, but this ups the ante.
Markets reeled—Nasdaq slid 1.2% Thursday as Tesla and Boeing braced for pain (Reuters). India’s watching close—our $10 billion iPhone airlift to the US this week dodged the mess, but 70% of our tech inputs still lean on China (Times of India). Posts trending on X warn of a ripple—“Global trade’s a house of cards now.” The EU’s 90-day counter-tariff hold might wobble if this spirals.
Trump’s team doubled down—Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “expected but reckless,” hinting at more US punches by July. China’s not bluffing either—rare earth curbs could kneecap US supply chains. For India, it’s a tight spot: Modi’s US trade talks gain steam, but a weaker yuan might flood our markets. This isn’t just tit-for-tat—it’s a test of who blinks first. Will global trade crack, or force a shaky truce?
