China slaps 125% tariffs on US goods, says will ‘ignore’ further trump moves

In a sharp escalation of the ongoing trade tensions, China on Friday announced a significant increase in tariffs on US goods, raising them from 84% to 125%. This aggressive response came just hours after US President Donald Trump slapped a steep 145% tariff on Chinese imports, notably excluding Beijing from a broader tariff pause offered to other nations.

Beijing’s decision signals a stern warning to Washington but also attempts to draw a line under the retaliatory cycle. The Chinese Finance Ministry emphasized that while it will continue to defend its economic interests, it will not respond to further US provocations with additional tariff hikes. "If the US continues to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods... China will ignore it," the ministry stated, underlining a strategy of resistance without escalation.

“The US imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international and economic trade rules... and is completely unilateral bullying,” the ministry said in a strongly worded statement carried by Reuters. It further added that Beijing reserves the right to act if Washington engages in substantive harm to Chinese interests.

President Trump’s latest move marks a dramatic intensification of his trade agenda, targeting the world’s second-largest economy even as the White House relaxed similar duties on other global trade partners. A 90-day tariff reprieve was offered to allies—but China was explicitly excluded, a decision many analysts interpret as a direct provocation aimed at asserting economic dominance ahead of the 2025 US elections.

In his first public reaction, Chinese President Xi Jinping turned to the European Union for support. Speaking to EU counterparts, he emphasized the need to “jointly resist unilateral bullying,” a phrase repeatedly used by Chinese state media to describe the US approach. Jinping’s move could signal a broader attempt to form a global front against what China perceives as unfair trade practices by the United States.

China has also moved beyond just tariff retaliation. It filed a new complaint with the World Trade Organization, accusing the US of threatening global trade stability. Simultaneously, 12 American firms have been added to China's export control list, while six others now appear on its “unreliable entities” blacklist—a signal that the trade spat is now spilling over into corporate warfare.