The levies announced last week are far-reaching, touching commodities from beef and poultry to grains. Along with the tariffs, Beijing also said it would completely suspend soybean imports from three US entities and also halted purchases of American logs. Beijing’s move came after the Trump administration doubled a blanket tariff on all Chinese exports. China’s measures hit goods the Asian nation can source from other countries, shielding the domestic economy from blowback.
Chinese officials have signaled confidence they can navigate trade tensions with President Donald Trump. Last week, Finance Minister Lan Fo’an said on the sidelines of an annual legislative session in Beijing that central government has ample fiscal policy tools and space to respond to possible domestic and external challenges
The Chinese retaliation appeared calibrated to avoid any escalation after Trump kicked off a global trade war, leaving room for talks between the two sides. Though the US leader has signaled a willingness to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping, so far no discussions have been announced.
The new Chinese tariffs come as the Asian nation’s lawmakers gather for the National People’s Congress in Beijing. At the meeting last week, Premier Li Qiang set a growth goal of about 5%, an ambitious target given the trade uncertainties, a lingering property crisis and deflation dogging the economy.
On Sunday, official data showed consumer inflation dropped far more than expected to fall below zero for the first time in 13 months. Core CPI, which excludes volatile items such as food and energy, decreased for the first time since 2021 with a drop of 0.1% — only the second time the gauge has contracted over more than 15 years. In an effort to ramp up spending and counter US tariffs, Li also said China was raising its general budget deficit to the highest level in more than three decades.
