Rising Trade Tensions: Beijing Strikes Back at Washington’s Measures

A New Wave of Tariff Measures

As trade relations between the United States and China grow increasingly strained, Beijing announced on Tuesday, February 4, the imposition of 15% tariffs on American imports of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG). This decision comes in response to Washington’s application of new 10% tariffs on a wide range of Chinese products imported into the U.S. These measures are set to take effect on February 10.

Additionally, an extra 10% tax will be levied on American oil imports, as well as other categories of goods from the United States, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.

Beijing Files an Official Complaint with the WTO

Staying true to its weekend commitments, China has officially filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO), denouncing practices it considers to be in violation of international trade rules.
According to Beijing, the U.S. measures severely breach WTO regulations and do nothing to address America’s own economic issues. China’s Ministry of Commerce also highlighted the negative impact of these measures on normal economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, already weakened by recurring tensions.

Google Under Investigation by Chinese Authorities

In a separate move, China has announced the launch of an anti-monopoly investigation targeting the American tech giant Google.
According to an official statement from China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, the company is suspected of violating the anti-monopoly law of the People’s Republic of China. This action comes amid growing tensions between the two global powers, ahead of a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump, as announced by the White House.

An Economic Climate Under High Tension

As a reminder, the U.S. president reignited a trade offensive last Saturday targeting several countries, including China, as well as Canada and Mexico, with tariff hikes reaching 25% on certain goods. However, after intense diplomatic consultations, Washington announced the temporary suspension of these measures for one month, leaving uncertainty surrounding the outcome of upcoming negotiations.