White House Warns China Amid Intensifying Tariff Conflict

(MENAFN) The White House has cautioned China that any additional retaliation through increased tariffs would not be advantageous for Beijing, as tensions between the two dominant global economies intensify amid their ongoing trade conflict.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt conveyed that over 75 nations have reached out to Leader Donald Trump’s administration to begin trade discussions.

She presented this as evidence that Washington’s tariff-centered approach is yielding results.

“The phones have been ringing off the hook to make deals,” Leavitt remarked on Friday during a press conference at the White House.

“These countries wisely heeded President Trump’s warning not to retaliate… and were rewarded with a 90-day pause and substantially lower reciprocal tariff rates,” she continued.

Earlier in April, President Trump enacted a blanket 10 percent tariff on all imported goods, alongside elevated “reciprocal” tariffs targeting specific countries, in an effort to boost domestic industry and tackle trade disparities.

While most of these higher tariffs were temporarily suspended for a period of 90 days, China was notably excluded from this temporary relief.

The cumulative tariff on Chinese products has now surged to 145 percent.

In a countermeasure, China retaliated by placing a 125 percent tariff on American exports, denouncing the U.S. strategy as “economic bullying” and cautioning that persistent provocations could ultimately render the United States a “joke” in the annals of global economic history.

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