Wall Street’s nightmare has become Beijing’s reality as trade wars continue to escalate. As the clock struck midnight on Wednesday, the White House confirmed that President Trump won’t budge on his newly enacted 125% tariffs on Chinese imports, hoping Beijing will eventually reach out to negotiate. The escalating trade tensions sent China’s offshore yuan to its weakest level since the market’s creation in 2010.

• China has dismissed the measures as “a mistake on top of a mistake,” declaring they will never accept “the blackmailing nature of the US,” and has shifted Beijing’s focus to strengthening domestic consumption with stimulus measures.
• China’s Commerce Ministry has vowed to “fight to the end” if the US maintains its aggressive stance, with Premier Li Qiang asserting the country has many policy tools to “fully offset” any adverse external shocks.”

Battling it out: White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt made it clear there would be no retreat, stating, “It was a mistake for China to retaliate. The President, when America is punched, he punches back harder.” In response, China has raised tariffs on US imports to 84% from just a 34% retaliation a few days ago. Trump then rapidly responded with the newer 125% tariff rate. Financial analysts predict further yuan depreciation could reach 7.2 per dollar or beyond as China attempts to boost export competitiveness under tariff pressure. However, the economic impact extends far beyond both countries, with Trump’s tariffs hitting allies and competitors alike, prompting Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to declare, “The era of rules-based globalization and free trade is over. We are entering a new phase, one that is more arbitrary, protectionist, and dangerous.”