JAKARTA – The United States government has once again raised reciprocal tariffs on Chinese exports to as high as 125%. The move, led by President Donald J. Trump, follows China’s retaliatory hike to 84% on American goods.

Karolina Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, said the increase was in direct response to China’s counter-tariff on Wednesday (9/4) local time.

“When you hit the US with retaliatory tariffs, the US President will strike back with an increase,” she said, as quoted by Fox News’ YouTube channel on Thursday (10/4).

She noted that over 75 of the US’s trading partners are now seeking to negotiate in response to the reciprocal tariff policy. The US government has postponed the enforcement of the additional tariffs for 90 days to allow room for talks.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration sees the President’s negotiation strategy as effective.

“I remind our trading partners not to retaliate against US reciprocal tariffs. We are ready to listen to any country willing to negotiate, and we will reduce tariffs from the base rate of 10%,” he said.

Earlier, Chinese President Xin Jinping responded to the tariff war by calling for closer ties with global trade partners. China, he said, aims to build a shared ecosystem for the future.

Previously, the US had raised tariffs on China to 104%, which was countered by China with an 84% increase on US exports. (LK/ZH)