CHINA hit back today at US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on its products with tariffs of its own.

Beijing also announced that it would be opening an anti-trust investigation into Google.

In a response to the latest tariffs announcement by the US President, China said it would implement a 15 per cent tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10 per cent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the US. 

The tariffs would take effect from next Monday.

The Chinese Ministry of Finance said: “The US’s unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organisation. 

“It is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade co-operation between China and the US.”

China is the world’s largest importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), with its top suppliers being Australia, Qatar and Malaysia. 

The US, which is the biggest exporter of LNG globally, does not significantly export LNG to China.

In 2023, the US exported 173,247 million cubic feet of LNG to China, representing about 2.3 per cent of total natural gas export volumes, according to data released by the US Energy Information Administration.

In addition, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said today that it was investigating Google on suspicion of violating anti-trust laws. 

It is unclear how the probe will affect Google’s operations as it has a limited presence in China. 

Google did not immediately comment.

President Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on his threats to slap tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, originally due to come into force today, after they agreed to measures on border security and drug trafficking that largely reflect their current practice. 

In addition to the tariffs, China announced export controls on several elements critical to the production of modern high-tech products. 

They include tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, many of which are designated as critical minerals by the US Geological Survey, meaning they are essential to US economic or national security.

The Commerce Ministry also placed two US companies on an unreliable entities list: PVH Group, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Illumina, which is a biotechnology company with offices in China. 

The listing bars them from engaging in China-related import or export activities and from making new investments in the country.