President Donald Trump said Friday the United States will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods beginning Nov. 1, citing what he called an “extraordinarily aggressive” move by Beijing.
In a statement on Truth Social, President Trump claimed China had issued a letter to countries declaring plans to impose “large scale export controls on virtually every product they make” starting on the same date. He called the action “unheard of in international trade” and a “moral disgrace.”
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The president said the new U.S. tariffs would be imposed in addition to the duties Chinese goods already face. He also announced forthcoming export controls on “any and all critical software,” though he did not specify which products would be affected.
"It is impossible to believe that China would have taken such an action, but they have, and the rest is History," Trump stated on Truth Social.
The dispute follows Beijing’s decision to tighten export rules on rare earth minerals and related technology. China controls about 70% of the world’s rare earth elements, which are essential for manufacturing products such as jet engines, electric vehicles, laptops and cellphones.
Under the new regulations, foreign companies must now obtain special approval before exporting items containing even trace amounts of rare earth materials.