Does China's ‘epic response' to Trump tariffs signal end of hopes for meaningful talks?
China reacted to tariffs imposed during Donald Trump's first term in office with a strategy of phased concessions, but this time round it has adopted an unyielding stance with a massive package of retaliatory measures.
Advertisement
Observers said the shift stemmed from changes in the trade dynamics between the two countries and the upending of the global landscape by Trump's agenda.
The Chinese authorities fired off a blitz of policy announcements – notably 34 per cent tariffs on all imported American goods to match the latest US levues on Chinese goods – on Friday, a public holiday known as the Ching Ming or tomb-sweeping festival.
China's decision to hit back swiftly – rather than seek immediate negotiations – may signal a shift in strategy, said John Gong, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
'Beijing likely sees little room for meaningful talks or suspects Washington has no real interest in negotiating,' Gong said.
Advertisement
'It's also notable that China is the first among the affected countries to strike back, which could mark an escalation in the tariff war.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Boeing delivers 1st plane to China in Trump tariff war reprieve
Boeing delivered its first aircraft to a Chinese airline customer since US President Donald Trump unleashed a wave of tariffs in early April, a sign of rapprochement as Washington and Beijing look to ease tensions. A Juneyao Air 787-9 Dreamliner took off from Paine Field north of Seattle on Friday, headed for Shanghai Pudong International Airport, according to Flightradar24 data. The airline had scuttled earlier plans to take the widebody aircraft after China ratcheted up duties in retaliation for the US levies. Representatives of Juneyao and Boeing declined to comment. The delivery is a boost for Boeing's carbon-fibre jet at a time when company executives are grappling with the aftermath of an Air India 787 crash that killed all but one of the 242 people on board. It reopens, for now, a pipeline of 50 aircraft designated for China this year. Deliveries are closely watched because that is when airlines hand over the bulk of the payment for a new aircraft.
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Iran fires missiles at Israel in retaliation for deadly attacks
Explosions were heard over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as sirens sounded on Friday night across Israel following what the country's military spokesman said was the firing of missiles from Iran. Iran's state news agency IRNA said hundreds of ballistic missiles had been launched in retaliation for Israel's biggest ever attacks on Iran, blasting Iran's huge underground nuclear site at Natanz and wiping out its top military commanders. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Israel said the strikes were the start of 'Operation Rising Lion'. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Israel of having started the strikes and initiating a war. US President Donald Trump said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme. More to follow …
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US judge blocks Trump administration from overhauling federal elections
A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from implementing parts of his sweeping executive order overhauling federal elections, including by requiring proof of US citizenship to register to vote and barring states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. US District Judge Denise Casper in Boston issued a preliminary injunction at the behest of 19 Democratic-led states who had argued that the Republican president lacked the authority to mandate changes to elections and the states' voting procedures. The lawsuit is one of several across the nation challenging Trump's March 25 executive order, which he signed after years of raising doubts about the integrity of the US electoral system and falsely claiming that his 2020 loss to Democratic former president Joe Biden resulted from widespread voter fraud. While parts of Trump's order had already been blocked in April by a judge in Washington, Casper's ruling went further as she concluded the states had established key pieces of the president's order were likely unlawful and unconstitutional. A voter casts a ballot at a ballot drop box in Seattle during early voting for the 2024 US presidential election. Photo: dpa 'The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,' Casper, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, wrote.
