China retaliates strongly against Trump’s ‘bullying’ tariffs amid rising global recession concerns

China has responded forcefully to Donald Trump’s “bullying” tariffs, raising fears that the intensifying trade war might cause a global recession and triggering fresh chaos in the financial markets.

 

Beijing retaliated on Friday with 34% additional punitive tariffs on all U.S. imports, mirroring the U.S. decision and worsening a sell-off in global stock markets.

 

Since Trump’s Rose Garden announcement on Wednesday evening, about $5 trillion (£4 trillion) in value has been lost from global stock markets, analysts calculated.

 

In the UK, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares fell more than 7% from Monday, marking its worst trading week since late February 2020, when concern over the Covid-19 pandemic was overwhelming the markets.

 

The significant escalation in trade tensions between the two largest economies in the world has heightened concerns among investors regarding risks to global growth.

 

The chair of the U.S. central bank, the Federal Reserve, warned that the trade war would lead to “higher inflation and slower growth,” as Jerome Powell resisted Trump's calls to lower interest rates.

 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) also warned that the escalating trade war could impact global economic growth. The tariffs “pose a significant risk to the global outlook amid sluggish growth,” according to IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva.

 

China’s retaliation came after Trump imposed 34% tariffs on Chinese goods, which were already subject to a 20% levy, increasing the total levy to 54%. He also imposed substantial tariffs on neighboring Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, through which billions of dollars of Chinese exports are processed en route to the U.S.

 

Trump responded on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday, stating: “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!”

 

The UK chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said ministers would continue discussions with Washington, hoping that the 10% levy on UK exports could be removed. The UK offers a series of concessions, including reducing the £1 billion-a-year digital services tax for some of the largest tech firms.

 

“We are committed to doing everything possible to secure the best deal for British industry, working closely with them to protect prosperity and jobs here in the UK,” she stated.

 

Financial markets are anticipating an additional three interest rate cuts from the Bank of England by the year's end, weighing the risks of slower growth, as some analysts caution that a slowdown may compel Reeves to increase taxes in her autumn budget.

 

“Given her adherence to fiscal rules, the central expectation must be that if she remains committed, significant tax increases in the autumn are likely,” expressed Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.