China responds to the United States with new tariffs and export control amid the growing commercial tension

China on Tuesday announced a series of new tariffs on US products, further intensifying the ongoing commercial war between the two largest economies in the world. This measure is a direct response to the recent tariffs imposed by the president of the United States, in a conflict that also involves the issue of fentanyl traffic.

As of Tuesday, the US administration imposed an additional 10% tariff over all Chinese imports. In retaliation, China’s Ministry of Finance announced 15% tariffs on the imports of liquefied coal and natural gas (LNG) of the United States, and 10% on crude oil, agricultural machinery and certain cars. These measures will enter into force on February 10.

In addition to tariffs, China will also impose controls on the export of strategic minerals, including tungsten, telurio, ruthenium and molybdenum. The Ministry of Commerce and the Administration of Customs of China justified this measure as a way of «protecting national security.» China dominates a significant part of the world production of these metals, which are crucial for the technology industry and the transition to clean energy, which makes this measure a strategic economic weapon.

The president of the United States has justified the new tariffs as a way of pressing China to stop the Fentanyl Flow to the United States, a crisis that has claimed the lives of thousands of Americans. «China has to stop sending us fentanyl. If they do not, the tariffs are going to climb even more, ”warned the president on Monday. However, China has eluded its responsibility in the fentanyl crisis, describing it as an «internal issue of the United States.»

China has announced that it will file a demand before the World Trade Organization (WTO) and that it will take other «countermeasures», although it has left open the possibility of future negotiations. The Chinese Finance Ministry declared that US tariffs «seriously violate the norms of the World Trade Organization (WTO)» and «do not address the problems of the United States, but also undermine economic and commercial cooperation between China and the United States» .

In an additional movement, China added two US companies, PVH Group and Illumina Inc, to their list of non -reliable entities, claiming that “they violate the principles of the market, they interrupt normal transactions with Chinese companies, adopt discriminatory measures against Chinese and damage companies severely the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies ».

Hong Kong’s bags experienced a reduction in their profits after the announcement of reprisals by China, which reflects the uncertainty of the market before the escalation of the commercial dispute. Experts suggest that the lack of an agreement between China and the United States could lead to tariffs becoming a recurrent pressure tool, which would generate instability in the global economy.

Unlike their focus with Canada and Mexico, where agreements were reached to suspend tariffs in exchange for greater cooperation in the control of migration and the fight against drug trafficking, the US government has maintained economic pressure on China due to the Lack of concessions.

China now faces a scenario in which its dependence on economic manipulation and political coercion could become against it. While the United States continues with its «United States first» policy, China continues to bet on the control of strategic resources and economic repression in response to growing international pressure.