Customs in the trade war: Trump and China on a collision course!

Customs in the trade war: Trump and China on a collision course!

In an escalation of the commercial dispute between the USA and China, President Donald Trump has announced that it increases tariffs to imports from China to 125 percent. This measure follows the introduction of new retaliation tariffs that China has raised to US imports. The Chinese tariffs officially increase from 34 to 84 percent and are to come into force from Thursday, which further heats up the tensions between the two countries. This reports Krone .

Trump justifies the drastic increases in customs with a supposed lack of respect from China compared to the United States. He also refers to a trade deficit of around 300 billion euros that was created last year in favor of China. In response to the new tariffs, China has announced that it would fight in the customs dispute to the end and to blame the US government.

retaliation measures and international reactions

The tensions have also affected the trade relationships of the United States with other countries. Trump set tariffs for countries that did not take retribution measures to 10 percent by July, including the EU and Austria. The EU's first counter-tariffs are expected to come into force on April 15, and the EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic, together with China's Minister of Commerce Wang, spoke Wentao about the possibilities of an economic exchange.

Wang Wentao emphasized that the US tariffs not only violate China's interests, but also that of other countries and damage the global economic order. This statement comes up with attention, since China was the third largest buyer of EU exports in 2024 and at the same time the largest importer for the EU.

economic risks and future prospects

The US government has declared that it initially excludes exposing the tariffs, although the increase in tariffs may not have the hoped-for effect. Experts warn that the measures could lead to financial market fluctuations, increased inflation pressure and weakening the industrial basis. This could in turn bring a higher risk of recession in the US economy. Trump still seems to be undeterred and does not think of an extension or delay in tariffs.

The dynamics of the negotiations are tense, and the trade conflict stirs up fears regarding further influence on the global trade order. Almost 70 countries have already tried to take negotiations on the threatened import tumbles. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has found that there is a lack of a basis for negotiations and calls for an attitude of equality, respect and mutual use to enable dialogue and negotiations. These developments make it clear that the trade dispute between the USA and China is far from over, and the global markets have to adapt to potentially increasing tensions.