In a blistering escalation of US-China trade hostilities, President Donald Trump announced on Friday a staggering 100% tariff on all Chinese exports to America, effective November 1, alongside sweeping export controls on critical software.
The move directly responds to Beijing’s “extraordinarily aggressive” countermeasures, which include hefty port fees targeting US-linked vessels, and threatens to disrupt global supply chains just weeks before the APEC summit.
Trump vented his fury on Truth Social, decrying China’s “hostile letter” to the world as a “moral disgrace” that imposes large-scale export curbs on virtually every product — from rare earth elements to unrelated goods — starting November 1. “This affects ALL Countries, without exception, and was obviously a plan devised by them years ago,” he fumed, vowing the US would not stand idle. “Speaking only for the USA… we will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any they are currently paying.”
The White House’s salvo follows Trump’s earlier threat of “massive” tariff hikes after accusing Beijing of a “hostile” offensive. China’s commerce ministry hit back, labelling the US measures “discriminatory” and harmful to global trade stability, insisting its port fees — from Tuesday onwards — on US-owned, operated, or flagged ships are “justified self-defence” to protect fair shipping and shipbuilding markets.
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump hinted at ditching his planned tete-a-tete with President Xi Jinping at the APEC gathering in South Korea. “I was to meet President Xi in two weeks… but now there seems to be no reason to do so,” he remarked, leaving the door ajar amid the brewing storm.
As tit-for-tat tariffs loom, economists warn of disrupted commerce and soaring prices worldwide. This latest chapter in the Sino-US saga risks derailing fragile economic recovery, with eyes now on Beijing’s next countermove.
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