China’s additional tariffs on US agricultural products take effect

According to Jiji Press on March 10, the Chinese government has launched retaliatory tariffs of up to 15% on some imported agricultural products originating from the United States since the 10th.

This is a countermeasure taken by the Trump administration of the United States in response to the tariffs on Chinese goods imposed on the 4th.

According to the announcement released by the Chinese government, it will impose a 15% tariff on US chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, and a 10% tariff on soybeans and beef. Last month, in order to counter the US tariffs, China has already imposed tariffs on US crude oil and liquefied natural gas. This is the “second round” of actions.

“If the US side goes further and further on the wrong path, we will accompany it to the end,” said Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China, at a press conference on the 6th.

European media in Beijing quoted sources as saying that China has “made quite careful preparations” to deal with trade frictions with the Trump administration. Trade statistics for 2024 show that China’s dependence on US imports such as soybeans has decreased compared with the previous year.

At the National People’s Congress meeting that opened on the 5th, the Chinese government proposed a new target for expected grain production. There are also reports that Xinjiang has planned to increase cotton production since last year in view of the Sino-US trade friction. Given that the impact of the US tariffs on China is considered to be smaller than in the past, there is also a view that “China is not too eager to talk to the United States” to seek to withdraw retaliatory tariffs.

According to EFE on March 10, China’s new tariffs on US agricultural products came into effect on the 10th. The Chinese government said that this move was in response to Washington’s previous tariffs on its products.

The US agricultural sector regards China as one of its main export destinations, but exports have declined in recent years.

According to statistics, China imported a total of 13.76 million tons of corn in 2024, of which 2.0726 million tons came from the United States. The United States used to be China’s main corn supplier, but in recent years it has been surpassed by Brazil and Ukraine.

As for wheat, China imported 1.9 million tons of wheat from the United States in 2024, accounting for about 17.3% of total wheat imports.

According to reports, China’s dependence on US soybeans has continued to decline in recent years. In 2024, China’s dependence on US soybean imports will be around 20%. This trend has benefited countries such as Brazil, which already accounts for about 70% of China’s total soybean imports.

In February this year, China has imposed tariffs of 10% to 15% on other US products, in addition to export controls on key minerals and antitrust investigations on technology giants such as Google.