Beijing retaliates against Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs

As the U.S. continues to decouple from allies and rivals alike, Beijing is working to strengthen ties with regional players

Welcome back to What’s Happening in China, your weekly China brief.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” came and went—and with it, a global quilt of tariffs that may very well have been the product of an AI hallucination.

On Wednesday, Washington announced it would impose 34% tariffs on PRC imports, on top of existing duties, pushing the average tariff rate above 70%. In response, Beijing fired back Friday with matching 34% tariffs on all U.S. imports, effective April 10. It also added 11 U.S. firms to its unreliable entity list (a designation that can restrict companies’ trade, investment, and other commercial activities in the PRC), imposed export controls on rare earth elements, and banned exports of dual-use items (products with both civilian and military applications) to 16 U.S. entities—among other measures.

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