China Slams US With 15% Tariffs On Coal, LNG

The Chinese government has moved to impose a 15 percent tariff on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal from the United States as a countermeasure to U.S. tariffs.

Naijaonpoint understands that this announcement was made by the Ministry of Finance in Beijing on Tuesday.

The ministry further indicated that a 10 per cent tariff would also be levied on oil and agricultural machinery imported from the U.S., with these measures scheduled to take effect on February 10.

Additionally, Beijing has initiated an antitrust investigation into the American technology company Google.

The U.S. tariffs, which are set at 10 per cent on all imports from China, were expected to be implemented shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Washington time (0500 GMT), following an order from U.S. President Donald Trump issued on Saturday.

Moreover, U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, also announced by Trump on the same day, have been postponed for a month due to agreements reached with those countries. In contrast, no such agreement has been established with China.

Earlier on Monday, Trump mentioned that discussions with the Chinese representatives would occur within 24 hours.

Trump, who won the presidential election in November, had pledged to impose significant tariffs on foreign products. He had previously enacted several duties during his first term from 2017 to 2021.