China raised tariffs on US goods to 125% and announced it would "simply ignore" future US tariff increases, refusing to continue what state media called a "meaningless tariff numbers game." This marks a significant escalation following Trump's 145% tariff threat.
President Xi Jinping met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, explicitly stating "there is no winner in a tariff war" while calling for China and the EU to "jointly resist unilateral bullying." Xi's upcoming state visits to Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia (April 14-18) dominated morning coverage across state media, reinforcing his neighborhood diplomacy strategy amid trade tensions.
By afternoon, Chinese social media displayed intensifying anti-US sentiment while economic experts warned about risks to China's overseas assets. The US launched a new executive order targeting Chinese shipbuilders, while reports emerged of Chinese exporters struggling at the Canton Fair amid trade uncertainty.