Live Updates: China Retaliates With Tariffs on U.S. Food

 

Live Updates: China Retaliates With Tariffs on U.S. Food

The response escalated a global dispute that has rattled governments and international trade. Mexico and Canada, the two other countries targeted by the Trump tariffs, had yet to respond.

 

Keith Bradsher

Ana Swanson

Updated

March 4, 2025, 2:03 a.m. ET59 minutes ago

Keith Bradsher and Ana Swanson

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/04/us/tariffs-us-canada-mexico-china

 

Here are the latest developments.

China imposed tariffs on a broad variety of U.S. food exports early Tuesday, responding swiftly to the Trump administration’s latest tariffs and escalating a global dispute that has rattled governments and international trade. Mexico and Canada, the two other countries targeted by the Trump tariffs that took effect just after midnight, had yet to respond.

 

China’s finance ministry announced 15 percent tariffs on imports of chicken, wheat, corn and cotton from the United States, as well as 10 percent tariffs on imports of sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

 

President Trump’s new tariffs — 25 percent on most imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on imports from China — will make good on his campaign promise to rework America’s trade relations, and they are likely to encourage some manufacturers to set up factories in the United States, instead of in other countries.

 

But by altering the terms of trade between the United States and its largest economic partners, the tariffs will also probably rattle supply chains, strain some of the country’s most important diplomatic relationships and add significant costs for American consumers and manufacturers.

 

Here’s what you need to know:

 

Mexico pushes back: As President Trump uses the hammer of tariffs as a negotiating tool against Mexico, a sense of Mexican nationalism has been strengthened and the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has seen her approval ratings rise.

 

Canadian reaction: It remains unclear what is at the root of Mr. Trump’s love-hate relationship with Canada. But there is widespread consensus in the country that tariffs would inflict major damage on its economy, which is dependent on exports as well as industries that are tightly integrated with the American market, and could lead to retaliation.

 

Tariff basics: Trade wars were a feature of Mr. Trump’s first term in the White House. But his latest tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China could broaden the scale of disruptions. The three countries account for more than a third of the products brought into the United States, supporting tens of millions of American jobs. Read more ›

 

Sticker shock: Now that they have taken effect, Mr. Trump’s tariffs are likely to result in higher prices for a wide variety of products, including cars, cellphones, computers, tequila, avocados and gasoline.