Trump Slaps 100% Tariffs On Chinese Goods, Says ‘Not Sure’ About Meeting Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump on Friday dramatically escalated the trade war with China, announcing a blanket 100% tariff on all Chinese goods and new export controls on critical software. The bombshell move, which also casts serious doubt on his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, came in response to what Trump described as an “extraordinarily aggressive” and “hostile” trade position from Beijing.In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that China’s recent actions were “absolutely unheard of in International Trade.”

He claimed to have learned of a Chinese plan to impose large-scale export controls on virtually all its products. “Based on the fact that China has taken this unprecedented position… the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying,” Trump wrote, setting the effective date as November 1st.

The announcement throws into disarray a planned high-stakes meeting between the two leaders at the APEC summit in South Korea in two weeks.”I was to meet President Xi in two weeks… but now there seems to be no reason to do so,” Trump stated, signaling a potential collapse in diplomatic talks.

Trump’s move was a direct retaliation to Beijing’s announcement that it would charge additional port fees on any vessels owned, operated, or flagged by the US. China said its action was a “justified self-defence” measure against what it called “clearly discriminatory” US policies that were damaging its shipping industry and disrupting global supply chains.The rapid tit-for-tat escalation marks a dangerous new phase in the economic conflict between the world’s two largest economies, with significant implications for global trade and stability.