China’s Ministry of Finance has announced 34 percent tariffs on all U.S. goods in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff order.
Trump announced sweeping tariffs 2 April targeting nearly every country in the world with a baseline 10 percent tariff. As part of the trade action, China was hit with an additional 34 percent tariff, adding to two existing tariff actions to reach a 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods.
China announced its own 34 percent tariff on all U.S. goods in a direct response to the “reciprocal tariffs” imposed under Trump’s latest order.
“This practice of the U.S. is not in line with international trade rules, seriously undermines China’s legitimate rights and interests, and is a typical unilateral bullying practice,” China’s Ministry of Finance said.
The ministry said any goods that have been shipped by 10 April and are imported between 10 April and 13 May will not be subject to the new tariffs.
Alongside the tariff action, China has also filed a lawsuit through the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement mechanism, the Ministry of Commerce said.
“The U.S.’s imposition of so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and the international economic and trade order,” the ministry said of the lawsuit. “It ... endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order. China firmly opposes this.”
According to statistics compiled by NOAA Fisheries, the U.S. sent USD 919 million (EUR 840 million) worth of edible seafood products and USD 111 million (EUR 101 million) in nonedible seafood products to China in 2024, for a total of USD 1.03 billion (EUR 942 million). China’s additional 34 percent tariff rate means any importer in China bringing in U.S. seafood products would have paid an additional USD 350 million (EUR 320 million).
On top of the new tariffs, the commerce ministry also announced it was beginning trade investigations into American exports of medical imaging equipment; added 11 companies to its list of “unreliable entities,” which bars them from doing business in China or with Chinese companies; and imposed a licensing system on exports of seven rare earth elements that are mined and processed almost exclusively in China, the New York Times reported.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social social media platform, responded soon after the news.
“CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” he wrote.
