China Raises Tariffs on U.S. Imports to 125%

China has increased its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports to 125%, further escalating the trade war between the world’s two largest economic powers.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping struck a defiant tone in his first public comments on the trade war, saying his nation is “not afraid.” Speaking to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Beijing on Friday, Xi warned, “There are no winners in a trade war, and going against the world will only lead to self-isolation.”

He emphasized that China’s development over the past seven decades has been rooted in “self-reliance and hard work,” not external aid, and vowed that the country would remain focused on managing its own affairs.

China’s Ministry of Commerce clarified that Beijing does not intend to raise tariffs beyond the 125% mark.

“The successive imposition of excessively high tariffs on China by the U.S. has become nothing more than a numbers game, with no real economic significance. It merely further exposes the U.S. practice of weaponizing tariffs as a tool of bullying and coercion, turning itself into a joke,” a ministry spokesperson said.(CNN)