The United States said on Tuesday that 104 per cent duties on imports from China will take effect shortly after midnight, even as the Trump administration moved to quickly start talks with other trading partners targeted by President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan.
U.S. stocks retreated on the news. Global markets had previously posted gains on hopes that Trump might be willing to negotiate down the array of country- and product-specific trade barriers he is erecting around the world’s largest consumer market.
The administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major trading partners, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is due to visit next week.
But the White House made clear that country-specific tariffs of up to 50 per cent would nevertheless take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET, as planned.
Those tariffs will be especially steep for China, as Trump has ratcheted up duties on its imports to 104 per cent in response to counter-tariffs Beijing announced last week. China has refused to bow to what it called “blackmail” and has vowed to “fight to the end.”
Administration officials said they would not prioritize negotiations with the world’s No. 2 economic power.
China is hitting the U.S. in a vulnerable spot as the trade war escalates between the two. Then, Andrew Chang explains why the math used to determine President Donald Trump’s global reciprocal tariffs is misleading.
‘Not doing exemptions … in the near term’
Trump’s sweeping tariffs have raised fears of recession and upended a global trading order that has been in place for decades.
“Right now, we’ve received the instruction to prioritize our allies and our trading partners like Japan and Korea and others,” White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Fox News.
The White House said Trump instructed his trade team to create “tailor made” deals for the nearly 70 countries that have reached out for talks. Trump’s lead trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, told Congress that his office is trying to work quickly but is not facing a particular deadline.
“The president has been clear, again, that he’s not doing exemptions or exceptions in the near term,” Greer told lawmakers.
China is bracing for a war of attrition, and manufacturers are warning about profits and scrambling to plan new overseas plants. Citing rising external risks, Citi cut its 2025 China GDP growth forecast to 4.2 per cent from 4.7 per cent.
Three out of four Americans expect prices to rise as Trump’s tariffs kick in, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Consumers stocking up
Chipmaker Micron told customers it will impose a tariff-related surcharge starting on Wednesday, while U.S. clothing retailers said they are delaying orders and holding off on hiring. Running shoes made in Vietnam that now retail for $155 US will cost $220 US when Trump’s 46 per cent tariff on that country takes effect, according to an industry group.
Consumers are stocking up while they can. “I’m buying double of whatever — beans, canned goods, flour, you name it,” Thomas Jennings, 53, said as he pushed a shopping cart through the aisles of a New Jersey Walmart.
Stock markets found a firmer footing on Tuesday after a gut-wrenching few days for investors, which prompted some business leaders, including those close to Trump, to urge the president to reverse course.
European shares bounced off 14-month lows after four straight sessions of heavy selling, while global oil prices steadied after falling to four-year lows. Wall Street’s main indexes had posted gains earlier in the day, but fell after the White House said the tariffs on China would take effect.
Markets in Asia, Europe and North America posted gains on Tuesday after days of losses following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs. Meanwhile, China vowed to ‘fight to the end,’ and initiated dispute consultations with the World Trade Organization.
