China hits back with tariffs on U.S. goods

BEIJING — China fired back Saturday in a spiralling trade dispute with President Donald Trump by raising import duties on a $34 billion list of American goods including soybeans, electric cars and whiskey.

The government said it was responding in “equal scale” to Trump’s tariff hike on Chinese goods in a conflict over Beijing’s trade surplus and technology policy that companies worry could quickly escalate and chill economic growth.

China “doesn’t want a trade war” but has to “fight back strongly,” said a Commerce Ministry statement. It said Beijing also was scrapping agreements to narrow its multibillion-dollar trade surplus with the United States by purchasing more American farm goods, natural gas and other products.

The United States and China have the world’s biggest trading relationship but official ties are increasingly strained over complaints Beijing’s industry development tactics violate its free-trade pledges and hurt American companies.

“In this trade war, it’s the U.S. who is playing the role of provocateur, while China plays defence,” said the Global Times, a Communist Party newspaper.

Beijing will impose an additional 25 per cent tariff starting July 6 on 545 products from the United States including orange juice, lobsters, salmon and cigars, according to the Ministry of Finance.