China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’

China announced further retaliatory measures against the United States on Friday, raising tariffs on American goods to 125% as the trade war between the two countries continues to escalate. 

The action comes after President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised tariffs on China to 125% in addition to a 20% tariff he had placed on the communist nation, citing its role in the fentanyl trade. American products expected to be most impacted by the new tariffs include soybeans, pharmaceutical drugs, and airplanes. 

While Trump has said that China has taken advantage of the United States for decades through unfair trade and warned the country not to retaliate, Chinese leaders have accused America of “bullying” in its latest round of tariffs. 

“The U.S.’s imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic and trade rules, basic economic laws and common sense, and is completely a unilateral bullying and coercion,” China’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday, according to a translation. 

“Given that at the current tariff level, there is no market acceptance for U.S. goods exported to China. If the U.S. continues to impose tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the U.S., China will ignore it,” the ministry added. 

In response to the new tariff hike from China, Trump administration trade representative Jamieson Greer said the move was “not terribly surprising but certainly unfortunate.”

“While there may be an adjustment, I think we’re going to be on a good path, and I don’t think we’re going to see that level of increase in household expenses,” he said during a Fox News appearance. 

China’s Ministry of Commerce has also filed complaints with the World Trade Organization, accusing the United States of undermining “the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order.”

Xi Jinping, president of China and leader of the Chinese Communist Party, met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday, and the two reportedly discussed strengthening ties between the European Union and China. 

Trump said he believed the United States could get a deal done with China but warned the nation not to retaliate. He said on Wednesday that China has shown a “lack of respect” to the world market. 

“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” he said in a Truth Social post.