Donald Trump. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/AP
The United States has officially raised tariffs on Chinese imports to a record 145%, as confirmed by the White House on Thursday. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly ramped up economic pressure in recent days, issued an executive order to finalise the new tariff level and announced a 90-day suspension of additional tariffs – but only for other countries, not China, The Guadian reports .
Last month, the US imposed a 25% basic duty on imports of steel, aluminium, auto parts and cars from any country. The next step was the introduction of a 10% general duty, with exemptions for strategic industries such as energy and microelectronics.
Washington hit Beijing the hardest: last Wednesday, Trump added 34% to the existing 20%, bringing the customs pressure to 54%. In response, China imposed identical tariffs on US imports. Another round of escalation followed: The US raised its duties to 104%, and then to 125%, bringing the final level to 145%, taking into account the previous tariffs.
Despite the tension, Trump announced a 90-day moratorium on additional tariffs for other countries that, in his words, “chose dialogue over conflict,” while China, which resorted to mirror sanctions, received the harshest tariff blow.
The EU responded to the 25% US tariffs by announcing its own tariffs of 10% to 25% on US goods, including motorcycles, soybeans and poultry. But the very next day, the European Commission temporarily suspended these actions, giving negotiations a chance.
However, the US tariffs on steel, aluminium and cars remain in place, and it looks like they could become the next battleground in the global trade war.
