Donald Trump sharply escalated his trade war with Beijing on Friday, more than doubling tariffs on $200bn worth of Chinese imports as talks between China’s top negotiator and US officials failed to produce a breakthrough.
The US president’s decision to push ahead with a threat to increase tariffs from 10 per cent to 25 per cent sets the stage for a tense final day of negotiations between Liu He, China’s vice-premier, and Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, in Washington.
In a statement issued just after midday Friday Beijing time, China’s commerce ministry said it “deeply regretted” the move and repeated its earlier vow to “take necessary countermeasures”.