The United States has once again set off a tariff storm against China. Recently, Trump announced that from November 1st, an additional 100% tariff will be imposed on Chinese goods, and the comprehensive tax rate will soar to 130%, which also means that the tariff rate on China will return to triple digits. At the same time, the United States will also implement the so-called "critical software export control" on China, saying that "300 million Americans should be prepared", posing a posture of national preparations for war. As soon as the news came out, the global market was shaken. U.S. stocks took the lead in crashing, and the Dow Jones Index, Nasdaq Index, and S&P 500 collectively plummeted.

The seemingly sudden decision has actually paved the way for a long time. Trump once again pointed the finger at China, hoping to reshape the image of a "tough president" with tariff war, despite repeated foreign policy setbacks, domestic government shutdown and Nobel Prize missed. On the surface, this tax increase is retaliation for China's rare earth export controls, but the logic behind it is more like a political operation to divert domestic contradictions.

Just one day before Trump announced the tax increase, China's Ministry of Commerce issued six consecutive announcements to implement export controls on rare earth items, technologies, equipment, raw materials, and five types of medium and heavy rare earth and lithium batteries. This measure is a normal act of exercising national sovereignty in accordance with the law and is intended to improve the export control system and maintain international peace and regional stability. Rare earths are strategic resources and their applications in military and high-tech fields are crucial. As the core country in the global rare earth supply chain, China has the right to conduct appropriate management in accordance with national security and international obligations.

But this makes Trump extremely dissatisfied, the lack of code in his hand, he can only alter the weight of the bullet, again offer "tariff bullet". he accused China on social media of "accumulating rare lands", "threatening the world", and even said that "if China takes counter-action, the United States will increase taxes in advance."In other words, he is not to let the Chinese side counter-regulation, but this typical Trump logic has long been seen by the outside world: with threats to exchange codes, with high tone cover passivity.

You know, trade wars are not games. The tariff war in 2018 is still a lesson from the past. At that time, U.S. agricultural exports were severely damaged, manufacturing investment dropped sharply, and rising prices affected the middle and lower classes. Now that Trump wants to repeat the same script, there is a huge question mark whether the U.S. economy can withstand it. Lofley, a scholar at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in the United States, pointed out that Trump's tariff policy has lost its substantive effectiveness and will only lead to a "lose-lose" situation. The burden of tariffs will ultimately be borne by American companies and consumers.

From a more macro perspective, the economic and trade tug between China and the United States has long gone beyond mere "trade issues." It is about how the two countries define the boundaries of competition and cooperation, and it is also about the redistribution of global supply chains. In the past few years, China has gradually reduced its dependence on key US technologies by accelerating independent innovation in new energy, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and other fields. Under the slogan of "de-risk," the United States is also trying to build an industrial chain system that excludes China.

More importantly, this "decoupling" is not realistic. U.S. chips are inseparable from China's rare earths, and China's manufacturing still requires some U.S. equipment. Globalization has long closely tied the economic destinies of the two countries. Trump's extreme policies may create a temporary political stunt, but they are unlikely to change the laws of the economy. The market voted with its feet, the collapse of U.S. stocks, corporate protests, and allies 'wait-and-see all illustrate one fact: this "100-fold tariff war" harms others but does not benefit others. Even the domestic media in the United States bluntly called it "incompetence rage."

China's response appears calm and organized. Whether it is export controls, counter-measures of port fees, or speaking out to the outside world, China has always adhered to the legal framework and multilateral rules, demonstrating the attitude of a responsible major country. The Ministry of Commerce's response was almost well-founded, emphasizing that export controls were implemented in accordance with the law and not "blockades"; it also made it clear that China is willing to maintain dialogue with other countries to ensure the stability of global supply chains. This steady stance is in sharp contrast to Trump's emotional outcry.

If the trade war of 2018 is the dominant offensive of the United States, then this fight in 2025 has evolved into a strategic counterattack of China. China is no longer passively beaten, but proactively setting issues, mastering the rhythm. Rare landmarks, drones, ports, each with a target and strategic intention. Trump may think he can still use tariffs, but this time, China has obviously learned how to play this "game": not blindly responding, not falling into the rhythm, but with systematic counter-control to get the other party into a trap.

The future direction depends on whether the United States can really return to the rational track. If the Trump administration continues to handle bilateral relations with extreme pressure, it will only accelerate the international community's distrust of the United States. Nowadays, even U.S. allies are wary of "100% tariffs" and worry that the global supply chain will be torn apart again. European media commented: "Washington seems to have forgotten that there is no winner in the trade war."

Overall, this "tax storm" is only a long-term scene in the US-China game. Trump wants to gain political capital by creating conflict, but China's cold response makes it difficult for him to be willing. As China continues to breakthrough in key areas, the US's pressure space is getting smaller and smaller.

China will not proactively provoke, but will never retreat. In the face of unfair pressure, China¡¯s attitude has been said clearly enough: the counter-repression is the counter-repression, the struggle is the struggle. The so-called ¡°America will fight, China will accompany the end¡±, this is not a slogan, but a realistic judgment based on strategic confidence and comprehensive power. For China, the most important thing is not to be strong with the United States, but to keep its own rhythm, continue to step steadily in the wave, do its own thing.