On Monday, April 7, President Trump threatened that if China does not retract its retaliatory tariffs against the US, the US will impose an additional 50% tariff on Chinese goods starting April 9. This would bring the cumulative tariff to 104% when combined with the impending 34% "reciprocal tariffs."
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce responded strongly to the US threat, stating that China opposes the US's plan to increase tariffs by 50%. If the US implements these measures, China will take decisive countermeasures to protect its interests.
The Ministry of Commerce noted that the US's so-called "reciprocal tariffs" are baseless and represent typical unilateral bullying. China's existing countermeasures are legitimate actions to safeguard its sovereignty, development safety and interests, as well as maintain normal international trade order. The US's threat to escalate tariffs is a mistake that exposes its deceitful nature, which China will not accept. If the US insists on its stance, China will "see it through to the end."
Liu Hong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency, mentioned in his WeChat public account "Niu Tanqin" on Tuesday, April 8, that China has prepared at least six countermeasures:
1. Substantially Increase Tariffs on US Soybeans and Sorghum
Sources indicate that China is considering significantly increasing tariffs on US soybeans and sorghum and other agricultural produce due to recent US bullying behavior.
2. Ban US Poultry Imports
Given the frequent outbreaks of avian flu in the US, relevant parties strongly suggest that China ban imports of US poultry to ensure food safety for Chinese citizens.
3. Suspend Sino-US Fentanyl Cooperation
It is revealed that due to the US's plan to impose additional 50% tariffs, China is considering halting fentanyl cooperation with the US. The US has ignored China's humanitarian efforts, instead choosing to smear and shift blame, severely damaging the foundation of their cooperation.
4. Countermeasures in the Service Trade Sector
These include limiting US companies' participation in procurement and restricting legal consulting services. The US has long enjoyed a trade surplus in service exports to China, and its so-called "reciprocal tariffs" pose a significant threat to the service sector that the US has enjoyed huge surplus.
5. Ban Imports of US Films
Experts reveal that due to the US's escalated tariff threats, relevant departments are studying measures to reduce or even ban imports of US films.
6. Investigate Intellectual Property Benefits of US Companies in China
Sources indicate that since US companies have gained significant monopolistic profits in China, relevant departments are researching the situation to conduct an investigation.
The article emphasizes that trade wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way out. Pressure and threats have never been the right approach when dealing with China.
"Niu Tanqin" describes this as a great game of strategy, stating that China must face challenges bravely and remain confident. While China has not closed the door to negotiations, it will not rely on luck and has prepared to counter potential impacts. The article concludes, "In this world, you have to pay back what you owe. The storm brought by the tariff war has just begun in the US."
Mao Paishou
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
The New Year barely begins, and Washington drops a flashbang on global diplomacy. A sitting president is forcibly detained and taken out of his own country — a move that blows past diplomatic convention and rams straight into international law’s red lines. On Taiwan, the chatter instantly turns into self-projection, as some people try to shoehorn a faraway conflict into the island’s own storyline. Anxiety spreads fast.
Maduro in cuffs, in a US federal courtroom — the raid’s image problem. (AP)
The South China Morning Post says the US action against Venezuela ignites a fierce debate on the island. Some commentary links the raid to the PLA’s recent encirclement drills around Taiwan, arguing parts of those exercises look, at least in form, like the US’s so-called “decapitation operations”: essentially a leadership-targeting operation. Some American scholars also warn this kind of play could set a dangerous precedent and invite copycats.
“Justice Mission-2025” rolls on as the Eastern Theater Command drills.
That debate doesn’t stay academic for long. It pumps up the island’s unease, with some people asking whether the same kind of military method could one day be copied and pasted into the Taiwan Strait. Even if it mostly lives in public talk, a high-tension political environment turns speculation into something that feels like risk.
People on the island don’t read the US move the same way. A small minority treats it as a US power flex, packed with intel integration, precision strike, and long-range reach. But the more clear-eyed view is harsher: such action chips away at the basic consensus of international order — because if major powers can raid at will and topple other countries’ leaders for their own aims, “rules” stop acting like rules.
Anxiety turns into politics
That worry quickly lands in Taiwan’s political arena. On Jan 5, multiple Taiwan legislators pressed Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien at the legislature, asking how he views the US action against Venezuela and whether the PLA might replicate a similar model in the Taiwan Strait. Hsu doesn’t answer head-on. Rather, he merely mentioned preparing and drilling for all kinds of sudden contingencies.
Then he pivots to money. He urges the legislature to pass military budget appropriations quickly and plays up the urgency of delays eating into “preparation time.”
That kind of sidestep, unsurprisingly, only deepened public unease.
SCMP, citing multiple security experts, says the DPP authorities try to play down the association — but outsiders don’t fully rule it out. The reason, those experts argue, is the PLA’s continuing push to improve its ability to shift from exercises to real combat. On the island, that alone works like an anxiety amplifier.
Back in the real world, the PLA Eastern Theater Command has been running “Justice Mission-2025” exercises since Dec 29 last year. Official statements spell out the purpose: a stern warning to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external interference, and a move aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and unification. The message is public and clear, there’s no gray area.
Some US think-tank voices pull a more confrontational takeaway from the US action. American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Hal Brands warns the US raid on Venezuela could create a “demonstration effect,” and he speculates China would watch those tactics closely. Some military commentators on the island seized the moment to hype fears, claiming the mainland might act during a “window” when US power is stretched thin.
That line of talk sounds like analysis, but it functions like a panic pump. US scholar Lev Nachman even says bluntly on social media that if a sudden military action hits the Taiwan Strait, the island could suffer “instant collapse” — not just militarily, but as a psychological shock to society.
KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun, in an interview, points to Donald Trump repeatedly stressing a shift of strategic focus toward affairs in the Americas. She says the Venezuela incident should be examined through the framework of international law, and she calls for disputes in any region to be resolved by peaceful means rather than force.
Cheng also reiterates the KMT position: uphold the “1992 Consensus,” oppose “Taiwan independence,” and urge Lai Ching-te to clearly oppose “Taiwan independence,” not touch legal red lines, and avoid continuously raising cross-strait conflict risks.
Rules talk meets reality
International reaction also turns critical of Washington’s approach. Multiple governments and regional organizations speak up quickly, condemning the action as a violation of the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits using force to threaten or violate another nation’s territorial integrity and political independence. The telling part is the silence: the Western countries that often talk about “international rules” either zipped their mouths, or danced around the question this time.
Reuters says that even though China, Russia, and others clearly condemn the US behavior, the Trump administration is unlikely to face strong pressure from allies as a result. That selective muteness, by itself, drains the credibility of the international order.
On Jan. 5, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commented again, saying the US actions clearly violate international law and the basic norms of international relations, and violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, immediately release them, stop subverting the Venezuelan government, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.
