Trump Says 'China Panicked, Played Wrong On Tariff Retaliation Move'

President Donald Trump on April 4 said that China panicked after it announced counter-tariffs in response to his global trade war.

"China played it wrong, they panicked -- the one thing they cannot afford to do!" Trump posted on Truth Social.

This comes after China's Ministry of Finance announced on April 4 that it will impose an additional 34 per cent tariff on all US goods starting April 10, marking a retaliatory action in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs. The ministry also revealed new export controls on key medium and heavy rare-earth elements—such as samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium—effective April 4.

In addition to the tariffs and export restrictions, Beijing has added 11 foreign entities to its "unreliable entity" list, granting authorities the ability to impose punitive measures on them. The Ministry of Commerce stated, "The purpose of China's export controls is to better protect national security and interests, as well as fulfill international obligations like non-proliferation."

However, shipments that leave their origin before the deadline and arrive by May 13, 2025, will not be subject to the additional tariffs. The State Council Tariff Commission clarified, "If goods are shipped before 12:01 AM on April 10, 2025, and arrive between 12:01 AM on April 10, 2025, and midnight on May 13, 2025, the additional tariffs outlined in this announcement will not apply."

Trump had announced on Wednesday that China would face a 34 per cent tariff, adding to the 20 per cent duty imposed earlier this year. This brings the total new tariffs on Chinese imports to 54 per cent, edging closer to the 60 per cent rate he had floated during his presidential campaign.

Under the new US tariff structure, Chinese exporters-along with those from other economies-will be subject to a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on almost all goods shipped to the US starting Saturday. The remaining higher "reciprocal tariffs" will take effect from April 9.