Effective April 2, China has increased tariffs on 128 goods imported from the U.S. in response to the additional tariffs Washington imposed on steel and aluminum as of March 23. China sees the U.S. duties as safeguard measures, despite the fact that they were nominally imposed for national security reasons, and believes they are inconsistent with the WTO Safeguards Agreement.
China’s tariff increases, which will reportedly affect approximately $3 billion worth of imports, include the following.
– 15 percent on (a) nuts, including coconuts, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, chestnuts, pistachios, and macadamia nuts; (b) fresh or dried fruits, including plantains, bananas, dates, figs, pineapples, avocadoes, guavas, mangoes, oranges, mandarins, clementines, grapefruit, lemons, grapes, watermelons, papayas, apples, pears, cherries, peaches, plums, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries, kiwi, durian, persimmons, lychee, longan, rambutan, dragon fruit, and apricots; (c) grape wine; (d) denatured ethyl alcohol, (e) ginseng roots, and (f) seamless tubes, pipes, and hollow profiles of iron or steel
– 25 percent on (a) aluminum waste and scrap and (b) meat and edible meat offal of swine
A notification to the World Trade Organization states that China reserves the right to adjust the list of targeted products and tariff rates.