US escalates trade war with up to 245% tariffs on China

The White House announced late Tuesday that China now faces tariffs of up to 245 percent on exports to the United States, escalating a trade dispute that has intensified under President Trump’s renewed "America First" economic agenda.

According to the administration, the new tariffs are a direct response to recent retaliatory actions by Beijing, including increased duties on US goods and export bans on critical industrial materials.

“China now faces up to a 245 percent tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions,” the White House said. The announcement came alongside a new administrative order launching a national security investigation into vital resource imports and offering additional context for tariffs previously announced on April 2.

The White House noted that more than 75 countries are currently in talks over potential trade agreements. As a result, individualized tariffs have been temporarily paused for those countries, except China, which moved to retaliate rather than negotiate.

While the administration did not specify the exact tariff rate, it signaled that duties on Chinese goods could rise as high as 245 percent.

Trade tensions escalated further last Friday when China raised tariffs on US imports to 125 percent, following Trump’s move to increase US tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 percent. Meanwhile, a 90-day pause on new tariffs remains in effect for other countries as discussions continue.

The latest measures mark a sharp escalation in the US-China trade war, underscoring the deepening economic rift between the world’s two largest economies.