Trade War Heats Up: White House Unveils Fresh Tariffs on China Effective April 9

The White House officially announced that the additional tariffs of 104% on Chinese products will go into effect at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (0401 GMT) on April 9, 2025. This followed escalating tensions in trade relations between China and the United States, with President Donald Trump making a threat of catastrophic consequences if Beijing does not roll back its latest retaliatory tariff hike of 34%.

 

In a previous announcement, President Trump asserted that such actions are a direct response to China's "long-term trading abuses" and its most recent counter-tariff action. He guaranteed that all negotiations with China would be put on hold indefinitely if the retaliatory tariffs were not recalled. Trump initially imposed a sequence of tariffs, including a specific 50% tariff on certain imports, and threatened that retaliation would bring about even tighter sanctions.

 

China's Ministry of Commerce responded angrily, vowing to "fight to the end" and denouncing the U.S.' actions as "blackmail." The trade confrontation has fueled unprecedented uncertainty in the world's markets, with Asian equities plummeting sharply and European officials having drawn up possible countermeasures.

 

This action is a milestone escalation of the current trade war between the two economic powers, with global repercussions expected as governments and corporations bracing themselves for the shock of these wide-reaching tariffs.

 

Source: India Today