China retaliates against Trump by imposing 34% tariffs on all US imports

China retaliated against President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs on Friday, announcing that it will impose a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products. 

The new tariff matches the rate of the U.S. tariff imposed against China. 

FILE - A container ship sails it approaches a port in Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province on April 2, 2025. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Expand

China tariffs: Country imposes 34% levy on US goods

What we know:

China's 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products is set to begin on April 10 and applies to all products made in the U.S.

The Commerce Ministry in Beijing also said in a notice that it will impose more export controls on rare earths, which are materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. Included in the list of minerals subject to controls were samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.

Dig deeper:

Additionally, the Chinese government said it would add 27 U.S. companies to lists of companies subject to trade sanctions or export controls. Sixteen of these companies are subject to a ban on the export of "dual-use" goods. High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company, were among those listed.

China also announced it has filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization over the tariffs issue, according to the Associated Press.

What they're saying:

"The United States’ imposition of so-called ‘reciprocal tariffs’ seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order," the Commerce Ministry said, according to the AP.

"It is a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order. China firmly opposes this," it said.

For his part, Trump responded to the announcement on Friday on Truth Social: "China played it wrong, they panicked -- the one thing they cannot afford to do."

President Donald Trump holds up a chart of "reciprocal tariffs" while speaking during a "Make America Wealthy Again" trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images /

Expand

"We knew this was going to be a little bit bumpy in the beginning, but let's understand what it's about. It's about fairness. It's about America first, not America last," Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told FOX Business. 

"We have been getting the short end of the stick for years and it's important that Americans understand this. These are reciprocal tariffs. We have been tariffed. Our goods are tariffed. We are always at an unfair disadvantage with these countries so it's going to be a little bumpy, they are going to cry, they are going to yell," Drew continued. 

The backstory:

Trump on Wednesday, on what he designated as "Liberation Day," announced a minimum tariff of 10% on global imports, with the tax rate running much higher on products from certain countries like China and those from the European Union. Smaller, poorer countries in Asia were slapped with tariffs as high as 49%.

The president touted his sweeping tariff plan at a "Make America Wealthy Again" event at the White House, arguing that it would restore the American dream and bolster jobs for U.S. workers.

In February, China announced a 15% tariff on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products from the U.S. It separately added a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.