50% Tax: Donald Trump Rises Pressure on China After Beijing's Reaction

Donald Trump escalated trade tensions with China on Monday, April 7, by threatening to impose an “additional” 50% tariff on Chinese products. This new escalation could take effect as early as April 9, if Beijing does not reverse its decision to retaliate against the U.S. customs attack. Indeed, China has announced an increase in its own tariffs to 34% on U.S. imports, starting April 10. Donald Trump announced a 50% additional tariff on China if they take retaliatory action! The situation quickly worsened after the imposition of a 10% customs tariff on all US imports on Saturday. The tariffs are expected to rise to 20% for the European Union and 34% for China on Wednesday. Called a “strategic adjustment” by Trump, the measure was seen as an attack by some economic partners, particularly China, which retaliated by also imposing a 34% tariff on American products. In response to Beijing’s retaliatory actions, Donald Trump announced a 50% increase in tariffs on Chinese products. On his Truth Social platform, he referred to China as the “biggest profiteer” and criticized the country’s reaction to what he deemed a fair policy. Trump also made it clear that he would not accept any meeting requests from Beijing while he begins negotiations with other countries considered more cooperative. What about the European Union? At a press conference on April 7, 2025, Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union is ready to negotiate a “no change, no deal” tariff agreement with the United States. However, Donald Trump has rejected any negotiations with Europe, demanding large annual payments before considering any tax reductions. The EU labeled the request blackmail, stressing that relations between Europe and the United States are now fractured. Reacting to these statements, European stock markets have turned positive again, although the situation remains tense and NATO may be the next target of tensions. The trade war between the United States, China, and the European Union continues to escalate global tensions. The threats from Donald Trump and the responses from Beijing and the EU signal a difficult negotiation phase. Markets remain volatile and are still struggling to recover after 3.25 trillion dollars were wiped out in 24 hours.