New York, LOGIC.co.id – U.S. President Donald Trump has once again escalated trade tensions with China. In a statement on Monday (April 7, 2025), Trump threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports unless Beijing lifts its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports by Wednesday (April 9, 2025).
If enforced, this move could push the total U.S. import tariffs on Chinese products up to 104%, according to a White House official who spoke to LOGIC.co.id journalists.
Additional Tariffs Raise Trade Tensions
Last week, Trump announced a general tariff of 34% on Chinese imports, in addition to the existing base tariff of 20%. If China maintains its 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods, the U.S. plans to implement an additional 50% duty, further worsening the trade relationship between the two global powers.
This policy is seen as a strong response to China’s decision to impose a 34% retaliatory tariff on U.S. products.
Trump Threatens to End Diplomatic Talks
Beyond trade issues, tensions have also spilled into the diplomatic arena. In a social media post, Trump declared that the United States would reject all meeting requests from China.
“All meeting requests from China will be denied!” Trump wrote, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
He added that the U.S. government will instead shift focus to negotiating with other countries that have also requested meetings.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he concluded in the post.