The ongoing US-China trade conflict intensified as President Donald Trump's administration was hit with a lawsuit while Beijing launched a series of retaliatory measures. The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a nonprofit civil rights organization, filed a suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports were an overreach of presidential power under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Representing a Florida-based company, the NCLA claims the law was designed to address external emergencies, not to enable unilateral domestic economic policy-making.

“By invoking emergency power to impose an across-the-board tariff on imports from China that the statute does not authorize, President Trump has misused that power, usurped Congress’s right to control tariffs, and upset the Constitution’s separation of powers,” stated NCLA senior litigation counsel Andrew Morris.

Simultaneously, China responded forcefully. The Chinese Finance Ministry announced a new 34% tariff on all US goods, effective April 10, 2025. The move was a direct counter to Washington’s identical tariff on Chinese imports imposed days earlier. Beijing condemned the US actions as violations of international trade rules and labeled them as “unilateral bullying” that threatens global supply chains and economic stability.

China also escalated its actions beyond tariffs. The Ministry of Commerce sanctioned 27 American companies—11 of which were added to its unreliable entity list and 16 placed under export controls—for selling arms to Taiwan. “These actions have seriously damaged China’s national sovereignty, security, and development interests,” the ministry stated.

In a further blow to US exporters, China’s General Administration of Customs banned agricultural imports from six American firms. Citing public health concerns and contamination with zearalenone and high mold counts, the banned imports include sorghum and poultry products from companies such as C&D (USA) Inc., American Proteins, and Mountaire Farms of Delaware.

President Trump responded on Truth Social, stating, “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED – THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” Despite the legal and diplomatic tensions, Trump remained firm on his trade strategy, framing Beijing's actions as reactive and desperate.

The escalating economic standoff signals a deepening rift between the world's two largest economies, with legal challenges, tit-for-tat tariffs, sanctions, and bans shaping a turbulent global trade landscape.