US President Donald Trump has taken a hardline stance, and the tariff war he launched is in full swing. According to analysts, China remains the primary target, and now Beijing is stepping up its response. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce condemned Trump’s renewed threats to raise tariffs, calling them a strategic mistake and promising a measured and symmetrical counterattack. The confrontation shows no signs of slowing.
Beijing’s Commerce Ministry emphasized that Washington’s continued pressure through tariffs would only provoke a stronger and more determined Chinese response. Officials warned that China would fight to the end if the United States persisted in escalating trade restrictions. The message was clear: China is not backing down from the global tariff standoff.
Currently, US tariffs on Chinese imports stand at 34%, 3.5 times the base level. While some experts believe this aggressive posture could eventually trigger serious trade talks, China's immediate reaction was to impose matching tariffs on American goods.
In response, President Trump vowed to raise tariffs by another 50%, potentially pushing total duties to 100% or more. He also declared that any further negotiations requested by the Chinese side were now off the table.
It remains unclear whether China will respond directly to this latest escalation, but such a sharp and uncompromising move risks severing trade ties between the world’s two largest economies.
Analysts note that China’s current behavior, untypically bold and unyielding, signals its full readiness for a trade war with the United States. Many do not foresee any near-term path to restoring stable relations between the two powers. Notably, President Trump has not spoken by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping since returning to office, marking the longest diplomatic silence between the US and Chinese leaders in over two decades following an inauguration.
