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U.S.-China Trade War Escalates: Beijing Courts Global Support as Tariffs Soar
By Ishika Dangayach - Apr 10, 2025, 02:59 AM ET
Last Updated - Apr 10, 2025, 04:28 AM EDT
As the U.S.-China trade war reaches new heights, Beijing is rallying international support to counter Washington’s steep tariff hikes. With limited success so far, China is turning to Europe to strengthen its global position.
In a bold diplomatic move, China is reaching out to other nations as the United States ramps up tariffs, attempting to form a united front to pressure Washington into backing down. However, Beijing's efforts are only seeing partial success, as many countries remain hesitant to align with the main target of President Donald Trump’s intensifying trade war.
Facing a sharp downturn in global markets, President Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day suspension of tariff hikes on most countries, citing a wave of nations expressing interest in negotiating better trade terms. The gesture, however, excluded China, which has firmly declined to initiate talks, accusing the U.S. of insincerity and vowing to “fight to the end” in the escalating tariff battle.
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In response to Beijing's defiance, Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to a staggering 125%. China swiftly retaliated with an 84% tariff on American goods, which came into effect Thursday.
Trump’s latest move appears to be a strategic shift —aiming to refocus what had become a global trade confrontation into a direct face-off between the U.S.
and China.
Amid this high-stakes standoff, China is pivoting to Europe in a bid to secure allies. A recent phone call between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was described as “sending a positive message to the outside world.” According to the Associated Press , China and the EU are each other’s largest trading partners.
“China is willing to work with the EU to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of China and the EU, strengthen communication and exchanges, and deepen China-EU trade, investment and industrial cooperation,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Furthering its outreach, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao held a video conference with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčović on Tuesday, discussing the U.S.'s “reciprocal tariffs.” During the call, Wang sharply criticized USA’s actions.
“The tariffs seriously infringe upon the legitimate interests of all countries, seriously violate WTO rules, seriously damage the rules-based
multilateral trading system, and seriously impact the stability of the global economic order,” Xinhua quoted Wang as saying.
He went on to label the U.S. strategy “a typical act of unilateralism, protectionism and economic bullying. ” “China is willing to resolve differences through consultation and end,” Wang emphasized.
Still, not all nations are keen to align with China, especially those with historical disputes and strategic tensions with Beijing.
Although Trump had previously ruled out a tariff pause, the administration now appears to be preparing for a series of one-on-one negotiations. In the meantime, a 10% tariff will apply to those countries granted the temporary reprieve from higher rates.
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