HONG KONG — China retaliated immediately Tuesday as a 10% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods went into effect, announcing a series of measures including its own levies of 10% to 15% on some U.S. products.
Starting Feb. 10, China will impose an additional tariff of 15% on coal and liquefied natural gas and a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement automobiles and pickup trucks, the government said.
The Chinese announcement came minutes after the U.S. tariff took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET. The failure to forestall tit-for-tat tariffs raises the risk of a spiraling trade war between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies.
“This unilateral tariff hike by the U.S. side seriously violates World Trade Organization rules, does nothing to solve its own problems, and undermines normal China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation,” the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, said in a statement.