Arrows fired in unison, China quickly took countermeasures against the United States' imposition of tariffs

Global Times reporter Ni Hao reported that on March 4th, the United States imposed tariffs on its three major trading partners around the world - Mexico, Canada, and China - citing issues such as fentanyl, triggering a counterattack. On that day, China decisively introduced tariffs and a series of non-tariff countermeasures to firmly safeguard its own interests.

Maximum 15% tariff

The US tariff measures that came into effect on March 4th include imposing a 25% tariff on the vast majority of Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as an additional 10% on top of the previously imposed 10% tariff on Chinese goods.

China announced multiple countermeasures on the same day, including tariffs on the United States. The Tariff Commission of the State Council has issued a statement announcing the decision to impose tariffs on some imported goods originating in the United States starting from March 10th. This includes imposing a 15% tariff on chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton; Impose a 10% tariff on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.

On the 4th, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued three consecutive notices imposing sanctions on multiple American companies. Ten American companies, including Tecmo Corporation, Joystick Rudder Co., and Trinita Brown Engineering, have been included in the list of unreliable entities. They are prohibited from engaging in import and export activities related to China, and cannot make new investments within China.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that in recent years, these American companies have disregarded strong opposition from China, either participating in arms sales to Taiwan or engaging in so-called military technology cooperation with Taiwan, seriously damaging China's national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Fifteen US entities, including Ledos Corporation, Gibbs and Cox Corporation, and Surveillance Research Corporation, have been included in the export control list. Starting from that day, the export of dual-use items to these entities is prohibited, and related export activities should be immediately stopped.

In addition, on the afternoon of the 4th, the Ministry of Commerce also disclosed that China has sued the United States for its latest tariff measures under the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism, and will firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, defend the multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order in accordance with WTO rules.

On the 4th, China also launched its first anti circumvention investigation. According to a notice from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, US related fiber optic products are suspected of evading anti-dumping measures. Upon application by domestic enterprises, the Ministry of Commerce will conduct an anti circumvention investigation for a period of six months.

Later that day, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on suspending the import of American logs, stating that Chinese customs had recently detected quarantine pests such as bark beetles and longhorn beetles in imported American logs. To prevent the introduction of harmful organisms, the General Administration of Customs has decided to suspend the import of American logs from the date of the announcement.

Quickly counterattack

Beijing has gone further this time, hitting a top American biotechnology company. "The New York Times reported on the 4th that China has issued measures to deal with the previously listed unreliable entity, the American company Ina, by prohibiting it from selling genetic sequencers to China.

According to American media, 7% of Meina's sales come from China. The company stated that it is evaluating Beijing's actions to fully understand their impact on its business in China, while committing to continue providing services to Chinese customers. We respect and comply with Chinese laws and regulations, and are committed to following the latest guidelines of the Ministry of Commerce, "said a spokesperson for Innolux.

Reuters described China's countermeasures as "swift". Tu Xinquan, Dean of the China WTO Research Institute at the University of International Business and Economics, told Global Times reporters that China is clearly prepared for countermeasures this time. In addition to tariff measures, a series of non-tariff measures have also been introduced, indicating that China has a relatively rich toolbox of countermeasures. Tu Xinquan believes that the focus of China's tariff countermeasures this time is on agricultural and food products from the United States, whether they are soybeans, corn, or chicken. These products, mainly from the Midwest agricultural region of the United States, rely heavily on the Chinese market and may hurt the weaknesses of the US government.

According to the Associated Press, after Trump unilaterally initiated the trade war in his first term, China's imports of American agricultural products gradually recovered after a decline, and has always been a major importer of American agricultural products. In 2024, China imported $24.7 billion worth of agricultural products from the United States, accounting for 14% of the total $176 billion in US agricultural exports.

At the same time, China has been diversifying its sources of imported agricultural products. Reuters cited the views of multiple domestic and foreign market insiders that China's imposition of tariffs on US agricultural products will continue to drive domestic traders to import Brazilian corn and soybeans, increasing pressure on US farmers.

The extreme pressure of the United States has' found the wrong target '

However, Tu Xinquan believes that China's countermeasures are not the goal, but rather to end the war with war. At present, the global economic recovery is weak, and it is necessary for the two largest economies, China and the United States, to strengthen cooperation and jointly address global issues. Reuters quoted analysts as saying that Beijing has set the tariff increase rate below 20%, leaving room for an agreement, but "each escalation reduces the chances of reconciliation between the two sides".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on the 4th that the US insists on using the fentanyl issue as an excuse to impose tariffs on Chinese products exported to the US. China has repeatedly expressed its opposition and taken countermeasures that are completely legitimate and necessary to safeguard its own rights and interests. He said: "The Chinese people never believe in evil, are not afraid of ghosts, and never accept bullying. Pressure, coercion and threat are not the right way to deal with China. To put extreme pressure on China is to find the wrong target and make a wrong calculation." He said that if the United States really wants to solve the fentanyl issue, it should negotiate with China to solve their respective concerns on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit. If the US has ulterior motives and insists on fighting a tariff war, trade war, or any other war, China will accompany it to the end.