Former President Donald Trump released an inflammatory new plan for weekend negotiations with Iran. Simultaneously, he further complicated America’s path by intensifying trade tensions with China through a series of dangerous, unprecedentedly high tariffs. The United States will introduce a staggering 104% tariff on Chinese goods starting at 12:01 AM ET on Wednesday, a move that follows Trump’s ultimatum to withdraw retaliatory tariffs. With only a few months to go until the deadline, Trump has a clear message. Further non-compliance will result in increased tariffs of 50%, he states, starting April 9th.
Trump’s declarations are made as anxiety over changing international trade relationships increases. On his Truth Social platform, he stated, “if China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th. Moreover, all negotiations with China about these highly unscheduled meetings that they request with us are over! Negotiations with the other countries, which have similarly asked to meet, will start happening right away. Further, thank you for your attention to this important issue!
On each occasion, the Chinese embassy in the United States reacted vocally and definitively. They announced that they would not be swayed by intimidation or concern regarding the new tariffs. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the embassy, stated unequivocally that pressuring or threatening China is not the correct approach. He drove this point home, over and over again. China will continue to strongly defend its lawful rights and interests.
Understandably, Trump’s announcement of the global tariff program is set to have a broad brush effect on dozens of nations and sectors. Jamieson Greer, once an advisor to the Trump administration, echoed that concern for U.S. companies. He sounded the alarm that they would face serious difficulty overhauling their supply chains in light of the new tariffs. He defended the administration’s decision to apply a 10% tariff on Australia despite existing free trade agreements, referencing Australia’s ban on U.S. beef and pork imports.
Just as trade relations between the U.S. and China enter a new chilling phase, Trump gets ready for diplomatic discussions of a different sort with Iran. He promised that if these talks don’t lead anywhere fruitful, Iran would be met with “a great danger.” Multiple political forces on both the left and right are closely watching this statement. Trump’s Iran and China policy critics are right to be worried on these two counts.
That’s exactly what the Supreme Court just did—repeatedly. The second thing it did was block a federal judge’s ruling out of California that ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of federal employees on probationary status. This ruling adds another layer of complexity to Trump’s administration as it navigates domestic issues while managing international trade relations.
In addition to these developments, Elbridge Colby was confirmed as undersecretary of defense for policy, a pivotal role within the Pentagon. During his confirmation hearing, Colby faced scrutiny from both Republican and Democratic senators regarding his stance on critical matters concerning China and Taiwan.
As tensions seem to be escalating everywhere we look, the political scene is just as unstable. That’s why some advocates are now pressing the administration for a more conciliatory approach in these ongoing negotiations. At the same time, other advocates are pushing for a tougher “stick” approach. Trump is preparing for his own round 2 with Iran. He’s dropping new tariffs on China, which will certainly shake global markets to their core.