China has reacted swiftly to the imposition of 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods by United States President Donald Trump.
They went into effect at 05:01 GMT on Tuesday, and moments later, China’s Ministry of Finance announced it would impose 15 percent tariffs on imports of US liquid natural gas (LNG) and coal and 10 percent levies on oil, farm equipment and some automobiles.
Trudeau and Sheinbaum, for their part, said they had agreed to enhance efforts to enforce their borders.
Why is China only imposing tariffs from Monday?
As Trump’s call with Xi looms, it appears the Chinese president is giving diplomacy a chance to work as it did in the cases of Canada and Mexico, according to Lynn Song, chief economist for China at the Dutch financial firm ING.
“Delaying the tariff implementation until February 10 will allow for top level leadership to meet before then, which still creates an opportunity for both sides to step back from the brink and de-escalate the situation,” he told Al Jazeera.
But Julien Chaisse, a professor at City University of Hong Kong who specialises in international economic law, said that much will depend on the US and how Trump views China’s decision to threaten retaliatory tariffs.
“If Trump sees this as a direct challenge, his administration could respond with additional trade restrictions. This would intensify the conflict,” he told Al Jazeera.
Aljazeera