By admin 
The United States may have initiated the latest round of tariff hostilities with China, but it now faces significant economic repercussions, with nearly $22 billion worth of its exports at risk.
A Moneycontrol analysis reveals that America’s dependence on the Chinese market has increased substantially over the past seven years. In 2018, China accounted for 8 percent of US agricultural and food product exports, a figure that surged to 18.1 percent by 2024. Following the pandemic in 2022, nearly a quarter of US farm exports were directed to China.
In retaliation for recent US tariffs, China has imposed additional duties on American agricultural products, including chicken, pork, soybeans, and cotton. The US reliance on China for key commodities such as oilseeds and cotton has also grown significantly. China’s share of US cotton exports rose from 11.3 percent in 2018 to 24 percent in 2024, while oilseed exports to China surged from 16.4 percent to 44.5 percent over the same period.
China has strongly condemned the US tariff measures. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a defiant message on its official X account on March 4, stating:
“Intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion, or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating… If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
The statement followed the US’ latest 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, implemented after a similar 10 percent duty was imposed by President Donald Trump in early February. In response, China has hit back with additional tariffs of up to 15 percent on US farm products, further intensifying the trade standoff between the two economic giants.
Gill Bikram Singh