China hits back on Trump's new tariffs; levies duty on food, other US imports

China's finance ministry announced 15 per cent tariffs on imports of chicken, wheat, corn and cotton from the United States, as well as 10 per cent tariffs on imports of "sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products," Chinese state media said.

Further, China has also added several US firms to its "unreliable entity or export control lists."

On Monday, the United States announced that it would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on all products imported to the US from China, effective from March 4. This follows an additional 10 per cent tariffs imposed by the United States on products imported from China in February this year.

China's Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council said that an additional 15 per cent tariff will be imposed on US chicken, wheat, corn, and cotton, plus 10 per cent tariff on soybeans, pork, beef, and dairy from March 10.

A spokesperson from the Chinese Commerce Ministry said that Beijing "will take countermeasures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests," Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

The spokesperson said US' "typical act of unilateralism and bullying in disregard of facts, international trade rules and the voices of all parties."

As per a report in the New York Times, China's Ministry of Commerce has also singled out 15 companies from the United States, including the drone maker Skydio, for punitive trade measures to "safeguard national security and interests."

The NYT reported that Beijing has has added 10 other American companies to what it calls an "unreliable entities list," preventing them from doing business in China.

The steps include levies on US food imports and halting the sale of Chinese goods to 15 American companies.

Xinhua cited a Chinese government spokesperson as saying "We hope the US can work in the same direction as China and find a solution through equal-footed consultation."

A 25 per cent US tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico took effect just after midnight on Tuesday, along with an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from China.

On Monday (local time) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced that retaliatory tariffs on US goods will go into force at midnight on Tuesday if the US tariffs on Canadian imports take effect.

In a statement on March 3, Trudeau said, "Our tariffs will remain in place until the US trade action is withdrawn, and should US tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures. While we urge the US administration to reconsider their tariffs, Canada remains firm in standing up for our economy, our jobs, our workers, and for a fair deal."

Trudeau's statement comes after US President Trump said that "tariffs are all set and are going to effect" on March 4 as planned. He said there is "no room left" for Canada or Mexico to avert US tariffs that will go into effect on Tuesday. (ANI)