Trump tariffs China retaliation: China vows to fight Trump's tariff war 'to the end' - as 104% duties on Chinese goods kicks in

Influential Chinese bloggers have suggested that China could restrict the import of American poultry and eggs as a countermeasure in the trade war, which would be a further blow to US farmers. Two influential commentators with links to Beijing also shared an identical list of possible countermeasures China could hit back with, citing unnamed sources.

The potential measures include significantly increasing tariffs on US agricultural products such as soybeans and sorghum, banning the import of US poultry, suspending cooperation on fentanyl, limiting market access for services such as legal consultancies, and further restricting or banning outright the import of US films and investigating how much American companies earned from their intellectual property in China. Weibo users also discussed the prospect of iPhones rocketing in price thanks to the tariffs, with several people saying that they would switch to using phones made by Chinese companies Huawei or Xiaomi.

On Tuesday China said it would "fight to the end" and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports. The Commerce Ministry said the U.S.'s imposition of "so-called 'reciprocal tariffs'" on China was "completely groundless and is a typical unilateral bullying practice."

China, the world's second-largest economy, has imposed retaliatory tariffs and the ministry hinted in its latest statement that more may be coming. The ministry said: "The countermeasures China has taken are aimed at safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintaining the normal international trade order.

“They are completely legitimate. The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the U.S. China will never accept this. If the U.S. insists on its own way, China will fight to the end."

Stock markets from Tokyo to New York have become more unstable as the tariff war worsens and economists have warned that the odds of a global recession are rising fast. European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on China to negotiate with the EU to come up with solutions to the global challenges presented by the sweeping U.S. tariffs.

During a phone call with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on Tuesday, Von der Leyen "stressed the responsibility of Europe and China, as two of world's largest markets, to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field," according to a statement from her office.