Trump announces 100% tariffs against China amid trade war escalation

Trump also said that apart from the tariffs, the US will also impose export controls on “any and all critical software”.

Trump’s hiked tariffs and export controls on its software has come in response to China’s decision to export limits on rare earth minerals, which will also come into effect on November 1. The rare earth minerals are for tech and other kinds of manufacturing.

What Trump said

In a post on his own social media platform Truth Social, Trump wrote that China’s decision to impose large-scale export controls affects “all countries without exception” and called it a “moral disgrace in dealing with other nations”.

In a heavily worded post, Trump wrote, “It has just been learned that China has taken an extraordinarily aggressive position on Trade in sending an extremely hostile letter to the World, stating that they were going to, effective November 1st, 2025, impose large scale Export Controls on virtually every product they make, and some not even made by them. This affects ALL Countries, without exception, and was obviously a plan devised by them years ago. It is absolutely unheard of in International Trade, and a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations.”

“Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position, and speaking only for the U.S.A., and not other Nations who were similarly threatened, starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software,” he added.

“It is impossible to believe that China would have taken such an action, but they have, and the rest is History. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

‘Strange things happening in China’

Trump’s announcement to impose 100 per cent tariffs on China came hours after he said that “some very strange things are happening in China” and suggested that such measures again China were imminent.

Trump said that he was surprised by China’s decision and that he had not spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “because there was no reason to do so.”

“I was to meet President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so,” Trump had written.

He also said that China’s move was even more surprising since the US’ relationship with the country has been a “very good one” over the past six months. The US President threatened to use America’s “monopoly positions” against China as well.