Trump announces 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries, but raises them to 125% for China
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries that have not retaliated against his tariff plan and have sought a negotiated solution. Instead, he increased pressure on China and raised its tariffs to 125% "effective immediately," believing that Beijing had acted "disrespectfully" by imposing retaliatory tariffs against the United States.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday (04/09/2025) that "given the lack of respect" China has shown toward the markets, he will raise the tariffs he imposes on that country to 125% "effective immediately," compared to the current 104%.
"At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the United States and other countries are no longer sustainable or acceptable," he said on his social media platform, Truth Social.
His comment came on the same day that the additional tariffs Trump calls "reciprocal tariffs," which the United States announced on April 2, went into effect. These included an additional 50% penalty for China, meaning that before the latest announcement, imports from the Asian country would have been taxed a total of 104%. While the United States applied a 20% tariff to the European Union (EU), among others.
On Wednesday, the Chinese government also activated retaliatory measures to increase tariffs against the US to the initially planned 104%, asserting that it has "a firm will" and "abundant resources" to respond "with determination" if the United States insists on "further intensifying its restrictive economic and trade measures."
Beijing also accused the United States today, during a meeting at the World Trade Organization (WTO), of violating international trade rules and weakening the multilateral trading system with its so-called reciprocal tariffs.
90-day pause for dozens of countries
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reminded reporters in a brief appearance that, as she has stated on other occasions, "when someone attacks the United States, President Trump responds harshly." The Republican leader, however, announced in his same message a 90-day pause on the application of tariffs to those countries that have not retaliated against his tariff plan.
"I have authorized a 90-day PAUSE and a substantial reduction in the reciprocal tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately," he also declared on Truth Social, justifying his decision by the fact that more than 75 countries, according to his estimate, have contacted his Administration to negotiate tariffs.