“It’s Blackmail”: China Vows to Retaliate as Trump Threatens 50% Tariff Hike

As trade tensions flare, Beijing calls US tariff moves ‘unilateral bullying’ and warns of full-scale retaliation if Trump follows through on threats

Beijing, April 8, 2025 — With the US-China trade war hurtling toward a fresh crisis, Beijing has denounced US President Donald Trump’s threat of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods as “blackmail.” China’s Ministry of Commerce declared that if Washington follows through, it will fight “to the end.”

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Trump’s latest ultimatum gives Beijing just 24 hours to withdraw its recently imposed 34% retaliatory tariffs on US imports. Failure to do so, the US President warned, would trigger a massive tariff escalation, pushing the total levies on Chinese goods to an unprecedented 104%.

Also Read: Trump Threatens 50% Additional Tariff on China, Demands Compliance Within 24 Hours

In a strongly worded response on Tuesday, China’s Commerce Ministry stated, “The US threat to escalate tariffs against China is a mistake on top of a mistake, which once again exposes the US’s blackmailing nature.”

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🔍 China’s Strategy: Resistance Over Retreat

Rather than yield, China is framing itself as a bulwark against US “unilateral bullying.” In a Sunday editorial in the Communist Party’s official newspaper People’s Daily, the nation emphasized its economic resilience:
“US tariffs will have an impact, but the sky won’t fall.”

The commentary claimed that since the trade war began in 2017, China has proven its ability to withstand pressure:
“The more pressure we get, the stronger we become.”

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💣 Trade War Timeline Escalates

• Trump initially imposed 34% reciprocal tariffs last week.
• China responded with equal levies, prompting Trump’s latest 50% tariff threat.
• The average US tariff on Chinese goods is now set to rise to 76%, potentially reaching 104% this week.

Markets have already reacted with panic:

• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index plummeted 13.2% on Monday, its worst drop since the Asian financial crisis.
• Though markets showed mild recovery Tuesday, economists are raising alarms.

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🧠 What Experts Are Saying

Economist Xu Tianchen of the Economist Intelligence Unit told Reuters:
“With tariffs already above 60%, raising them further changes little for China. The real threat is cutting US agricultural imports and expanding Chinese export controls — especially across the periodic table.”

As Trump doubles down on trade threats and Beijing digs in its heels, the world watches closely. The next 24 hours could decide whether diplomacy or economic warfare dominates the months ahead.

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Trump tariffs, China retaliation, US-China trade war, global economy, Chinese commerce ministry, trade tensions, economic blackmail, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, tariffs 2025, stock market crash, Hong Kong Hang Seng, Economist Intelligence Unit, periodic table export controls, global trade disruption