China to Impose Additional Tariffs of up to 15 Percent on US Agricultural Goods

Beijing also added 15 U.S. companies to its export control list, a move that it said was intended to ‘safeguard national security and interests.’

Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai on October 19, 2020. Aly Song/Reuters

The Chinese communist regime said on Tuesday that it will impose additional tariffs of up to 15 percent on some U.S. agricultural goods in response to the Trump administration’s tariff hikes.

In a statement, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said that imports of chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton from the United States will face an extra 15 percent tariff.

The tariff applied to U.S. imports of sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products will increase by 10 percent.

The tariffs will take effect on March 10, the ministry stated. Goods already in transit will be exempt until April 12.

The Commerce Ministry said that the tariffs were a response to President Donald Trump’s move to raise tariffs on Chinese imports from 10 percent to 20 percent, which went into effect on Tuesday.

The ministry condemned the increase in tariffs, warning that the move could burden U.S. companies and consumers and undermine the foundation of the U.S.-China trade relations.

The Chinese regime also added 15 U.S. companies to its export control list, a move that it said was intended to “safeguard national security and interests.” Among the companies are General Dynamics Land Systems, a military vehicles manufacturer, and drone maker Skydio.

The ministry also announced a ban on imports of genetic sequencers from U.S. biotechnology company Illumina, citing the need to “safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

The two nations have been engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff exchange after Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports on Feb. 4.

China responded to the first round of U.S. tariffs by imposing a 15 percent tariff on U.S. imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products, as well as a 10 percent tariff on U.S. crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-displacement cars. This tariff took effect on Feb. 10.

Trump later doubled the tariffs on Chinese imports, saying that China had not taken adequate steps to tackle the drug crisis “through cooperative enforcement actions.”

“Vast amounts of fentanyl have poured into our country from Mexico, and as you know, also from China, where it goes to Mexico and goes to Canada,” Trump told reporters on March 3.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry rejected the claims and said that China has one of “the strictest and most thorough drug control policies in the world.” It urged the United States to end its tariff measures and vowed to take countermeasures against any further increases.

Trump also signed an executive order on Feb. 1 suspending the duty-free exemption for low-valued shipments from China as part of efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the United States.

Trump’s order states that numerous China-based companies “go to great lengths to evade law enforcement and hide illicit substances in the flow of legitimate commerce.” To conceal the actual contents of their parcels and the identities of distributors, the companies employ reshippers in the United States, falsify invoices, and use deceptive packaging, according to the order.

“The influx of these drugs to our Nation threatens the fabric of our society,” Trump stated in the order. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] plays a central role in this challenge, not merely by failing to stem the ultimate source of many illicit drugs distributed in the United States, but by actively sustaining and expanding the business of poisoning our citizens.”

A report released last year by the U.S. House Select Committee identified China as the “ultimate geographic source” of the fentanyl crisis in the United States. The report found that Chinese companies are the main producers of the precursors used to make fentanyl.

In 2023, the United States imported roughly $427 billion worth of goods from China, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with products such as electronics, cellphones, computers, and other technology items making up the largest import categories.

Jacob Burg contributed to this report.