China announced on Friday that it will impose a 34% tariffs on US goods, mirroring the same tariff rate recently enacted by President Donald Trump under his reciprocal tariff strategy. The new tariffs are set to take effect on April 10, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“China played it wrong, they panicked—the one thing they cannot afford to do,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in response to the announcement.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun criticized the U.S. tariffs at a briefing in Beijing, stating that the American trade policies “gravely violate World Trade Organization rules” and undermine the global trading system.
“China firmly rejects this and will do what is necessary to defend our legitimate rights and interests,” Guo said. “We have emphasized more than once that trade and tariff wars have no winners.
Protectionism leads nowhere. We urge the U.S. to stop doing the wrong thing and resolve trade differences through fair and mutual consultations.”
The newly announced tariffs come on top of an existing 20% tariff imposed on Chinese imports by the Trump administration.
Despite concerns over potential economic disruption, U.S. officials defended the tariff increases as necessary to level the playing field.
“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., said in an interview.
He added that the U.S. has long been at a trade disadvantage and suggested that the tariffs are already prompting other nations to seek new deals. “I spoke to the president personally yesterday, and he told me that countries are already coming to him saying, ‘Let’s work this out, we can make a fair deal, we can do better.’ We will.”
President Trump touted his tariff policy at a “Make America Wealthy Again” event, calling it a critical step to reviving the U.S. economy and restoring American jobs.
“American steel workers, auto workers, farmers, and skilled craftsmen have suffered gravely,” Trump said from the White House Rose Garden. “They watched in anguish as foreign leaders stole our jobs, foreign cheaters ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers tore apart our once-beautiful American dream.”
Trump asserted that the new tariff plan would generate revenue to reduce taxes and pay down the national debt, adding, “With today’s action, we are finally going to be able to make America great again—greater than ever before. Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already.”
While the tariff escalation has raised concerns about increased costs for American consumers, the White House remains confident in its approach.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed worries over inflation, stating during a press briefing that the administration believes the tariff plan “is going to work.”