China vows countermeasures against US as Trump slaps 34% tariffs on $438 billion imports

China’s opposition to the imposition of additional tariffs has always been consistent and clear,

Liu stated

China firmly opposes the US ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and will resolutely adopt countermeasures to safeguard its rights and interests,

a ministry spokesperson said following Trump’s announcement

China believes that protectionism leads nowhere, and trade and tariff wars have no winners,

The South China Morning Post quoted Liu as saying

We’re going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 per cent,

he said while addressing the press from the White House Rose Garden

The new levies would correct years of ‘unfair’ trade during which other countries had been ‘ripping’ off the US,

Trump said

I have great respect for President Xi (Jinping) of China, great respect for China, but they were taking tremendous advantage,

he said

Trump's tariffs certainly won't help Chinese firms and will cause some real pain in some sectors, but they don't make any definitive mark on the Chinese economy,

said William Hurst, Chong Hua Professor of Chinese Development at the University of Cambridge

Trump and Xi are locked in a paradox of pressure and pride,

said Craig Singleton, senior fellow at Washington-based research institute Foundation for Defense of Democracies

Arguably, President Trump's tariffs elsewhere will cause the most headaches,

said Ruby Osman, a China expert at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

China knew this day was coming well in advance, the relatively restrained stimulus announcements at March's Two Sessions were a calculation, not an oversight,

Osman said, referring to China's annual parliamentary meetings

U.S. exports are of declining importance to China. The American tariffs will spur more Chinese trade with other places, from Europe to Southeast Asia and Africa,

he added

Beijing has purposefully kept more in reserve, both in terms of domestic stimulus and retaliatory measures, in case it needs to respond more forcefully,

she added

Trump's strategy mixes maximum pressure with sudden diplomatic overtures — he sees leverage and engagement as complementary. Xi, by contrast, is methodical and risk-averse, relying on delay and discipline. But here’s the dilemma: if he refuses to engage, the pressure escalates; if he engages too soon, he risks looking weak,

he added