Donald Trump raises taxes on Chinese imports to 125%, pauses tariffs on most nations for 90 days

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly backs down on his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, but raises tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%

Facing a global market meltdown, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (April 9, 2025) abruptly backed down on his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, but raised his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%.

It was seemingly an attempt to narrow what had been an unprecedented trade war between the U.S. and most of the world to one between the U.S. and China.

U.S. stocks are flying higher after Mr. Trump’s announcement.

The S&P 500 was up 5.7% after erasing an earlier loss of 0.7% The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 2,000 points, or 5%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 6.8%

Investors have been desperate for Mr. Trump to ease up on his tariffs, which economists say could cause a global recession and increase inflation. But Mr. Trump also said that he’s raising tariffs on China, the world’s second-largest economy.