On February 4, China announced new tariffs on US imports in response to the US decision to raise tariffs on Chinese goods. Under the new measures, Beijing imposes 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas imports from the US, as well as 10% tariffs on oil and other US goods, including cars and agricultural machinery. About this informs Reuters.
An additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports imposed by the Donald Trump administration took effect on February 4 at 12:01 a.m. ET. Within minutes, China’s Ministry of Finance announced the introduction of corresponding tariffs: 15% on American coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% on crude oil, agricultural machinery and certain automobiles. Chinese tariffs on American exports will begin on February 10.
In addition, China’s Ministry of Commerce and its Customs Administration announced the implementation of export controls on materials such as tungsten, tellurium, ruthenium, molybdenum and ruthenium-related goods. This decision is explained by the need to “protect the interests of national security”.
It will be recalled that the day before, Trump at the last moment postponed his decision on the 25% tariff for Mexico and Canada, agreeing to a 30-day pause in exchange for concessions on border protection and the fight against crime. There was no reprieve for China, however, and a White House spokeswoman said Trump did not plan to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping until later this week.
