Trump Pledges ‘Friendship’ With China, Yet Imposes 155% Tariffs Starting Nov 1

Washington, Oct 22: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) announced that Washington will impose a 155 per cent tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1, even as he expressed a personal desire to maintain friendly ties with Beijing.

Responding to questions about potential tariffs on China, Trump stated, “Right now, as of November 1st, China will have about 155 per cent tariffs put on it. I don’t think it’s sustainable for them.” He added that while he wishes to be “nice” to China, years of one-sided economic dealings forced the US to adopt a tougher approach. “China has been very rough with us over the years because previous administrations allowed them and other countries to take advantage of the United States,” Trump said.

Trump emphasized that his earlier trade agreements with the European Union, Japan, and South Korea were also built on tariffs, which he considers a critical tool for national security. “We’re getting hundreds of billions, even trillions, of dollars paid into the United States… We’ll start paying off debt,” he noted.

This latest move escalates US pressure on China, the world’s largest importer of Russian crude, following previous tariffs targeting India’s oil imports from Russia. In a post on Truth Social, Trump also announced an additional 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods “over and above any tariff they are currently paying” from November 1, alongside export controls on all critical software.

Trump justified the measures citing China’s “extraordinarily aggressive position on trade” and a recent “hostile letter to the world” announcing large-scale export controls effective November 1. He described the move as unprecedented and a “moral disgrace in dealing with other nations,” underscoring the US commitment to protecting its economic and security interests.