China hits back with up to 15% tariffs on several US goods

China imposed additional tariffs on selected US commodities, including oil, coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), in a retaliatory response to a similar procedure by President Donald Trump, who stated that he might be contacting with Beijing on Tuesday.

China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement that an additional 15% levies will be imposed on the import of US coal and LNG, along with 10% on crude oil, farm equipment, and certain types of vehicles, as of Feb. 10.

In a separate statement, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and officials of the General Administration of Customs announced restrictions on the export of products related to on tungsten, tellurium, ruthenium, molybdenum and ruthenium-related items, which are rare ground minerals, CNBC reported.

This came after the additional tariffs imposed on Chinese imports by Trump last week came into effect this morning.

China earlier said it would respond to the US protectionist policies by filing a legal case against Washington at the World Trade Organization. The Asian country reserved the right to respond as it sees fit, but it has not explicitly announced intention to impose customs duties on the US.

Trump said at a press conference at the White House on Feb. 3 that his administration may hold talks with the Chinese side within the next 24 hours.

He noted that if the US cannot reach an agreement with China, the tariffs would be raised to a very high level.