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US President Donald Trump said he would impose an additional 100% tariff on China as well as export controls on “any and all critical software” beginning Nov. 1, hours after threatening to cancel an upcoming meeting with the country’s leader, Xi Jinping.
“It has just been learned that China has taken an extraordinarily aggressive position on Trade in sending an extremely hostile letter to the World, stating that they were going to, effective November 1st, 2025, impose large scale Export Controls on virtually every product they make, and some not even made by them,” Trump said in a social media post.
The move will revive fears of a global disruption in trade that could see the world’s two largest economies effectively cut off ties, and dramatically raises the stakes for Trump and Xi as they navigate high-stake trade negotiations.
But Trump acknowledged Friday that he could retreat from his massive tariff escalation if the Chinese backed down from threatened restrictions on rare earths, while saying that it was still possible that he could meet Xi later this month.
“That’s why I made it Nov. 1st,” Trump said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Trump’s announced tariffs would raise import taxes on many Chinese goods to 130% starting next month. That would be just below the 145% level imposed earlier this year, before both countries ratcheted down the levies in a truce to advance trade talks.
Ahead of the planned Xi-Trump summit, both the US and China moved to potentially curb flows of technology and materials between the countries. In the most recent action, China slapped new port fees on US ships and started an antitrust investigation into Qualcomm Inc. — following fresh efforts to restrict the flow of rare-earth minerals needed to make numerous consumer products, including motors, semiconductors and fighter jets.
In the Oval Office, Trump teased that he could add export restrictions on airplanes and airplane parts.
And the Office of the US Trade Representative on Friday announced it would impose tariffs of 100% on certain ship-to-shore cranes and cargo handling equipment, a move that targets Chinese-made port equipment.
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