On April 4, 2025, China announced that it would impose a retaliatory 34% tariff on all U.S. imports, effective April 10. This move comes in response to a similar tariff of the same rate imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week as part of his “Liberation Day” trade package.
The U.S. 34% tariff is an addition to previously established duties, pushing the overall tariff rate on Chinese goods to potentially over 54%. In retaliation, the Chinese Commerce Ministry also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO), accusing the U.S. of engaging in “unilateral bullying” and violating WTO rules, which has destabilized the global economic and trade order.
Additionally, China announced tighter export restrictions on rare earth minerals, which are crucial in producing technology products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. Certain minerals like samarium and gadolinium, used in aerospace and medical technologies, have now been added to the list of restricted exports.
As part of the ongoing trade tension, China has suspended chicken imports from two U.S. suppliers due to contamination concerns. The affected suppliers are Mountaire Farms of Delaware and Coastal Processing, with furazolidone (a banned drug in China) detected in their shipments.
Markets have been significantly impacted by these developments. On April 3, 2025, the S&P 500 Index fell by 4.8%, marking its largest drop since June 2020. European markets also took a hit in response to the retaliatory tariffs, with major indices such as the CAC 40, DAX, and FTSE 100 all experiencing significant declines.
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