China weighs response as Trump imposes new global tariff after court ruling

China is reviewing its trade countermeasures against the United States as Washington’s new global tariffs take effect, following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Trump administration’s sweeping levies imposed last year.

The Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday also confirmed that Beijing would soon hold a new round of high-level trade talks with Washington, expected to pave the way for US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the country in late March.

“China has consistently opposed unilateral tariff measures in all forms and urges the US to remove and refrain from imposing further unilateral tariffs,” the ministry said in a statement.

The US Supreme Court on Friday struck down Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs, including “reciprocal” duties of 10 per cent and an additional 10 per cent in fentanyl-related tariffs on China.

As a temporary replacement, Trump issued an executive order on the same day, imposing a 10 per cent levy on all goods entering the US, which took effect on Tuesday.

On Saturday, he announced on Truth Social that the rate would be raised to 15 per cent – the maximum allowed under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act – though no official order has been issued.

It remains unclear whether Washington could deploy other tools to bypass current legal hurdles.

South China Morning Post