President Donald Trump announced Friday he will move forward with 25 percent tariffs on Chinese technology imports worth roughly $50 billion. | Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images Trump amps up China trade war with tariffs on high-tech imports

President Donald Trump took another aggressive step in his trade war with China on Friday, announcing that 25 percent tariffs will start taking effect in July on Chinese technology imports.

The penalties on $50 billion in goods — primarily targeting products containing “industrially significant technologies,” like aerospace, robotics and automobiles — drew a swift rebuke from the Chinese government. Beijing promised that retaliation in equal measure against U.S. goods would take effect on the same day the U.S. duties kick in and called for other nations to take part.


"We call on all countries to take joint actions, resolutely put an end to this outdated and regressive behavior and firmly defend the common interests of humankind," the Chinese commerce ministry said, according to a translated statement.

The White House said the tariffs, the first of which are set to begin on July 6, are aimed at cracking down on Chinese policies that force U.S. companies to hand over valuable technology and data to operate in the Chinese market. But the move also marks a significant escalation of tensions between the world’s two largest economies and threatens to derail ongoing talks between the two countries, including plans for Beijing to purchase more U.S. agricultural and energy products.

The Chinese commerce ministry on Friday declared invalid any previous trade agreements reached during negotiations.

Trump said Friday that while Chinese President Xi Jinping is his “friend,” the actions were necessary to “straighten out” the U.S.-China trade relationship and protect U.S. intellectual property and technology industries.

Sign up for Morning Trade A speed read on global trade news — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

“We’re going to protect those secrets,” he said on "Fox and Friends." “You know those are the crown jewels of our country. … We have the great brain power right in this country.”

The new penalties will fall on more than 800 products worth roughly $34 billion on sectors including industrial machinery and information and communications technology, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a separate statement Friday. That list includes industrial products but avoided commonly purchased goods, like cellphones and televisions, in what USTR said was an effort to minimize direct effects on U.S. consumers.

The administration also highlighted an additional 284 products worth roughly $16 billion that were not on an original list of items proposed for tariffs, which was released in April. Those new items will have to undergo a public comment and review process before facing tariffs.

The U.S. also said it will pursue additional duties if China engages in retaliatory measures.

Beijing made clear that it will retaliate dollar-for-dollar against the United States as soon as tariffs take effect. To that end, nearly 550 U.S. exports to China, totaling $34 billion, will be hit with 25 percent tariffs on July 6, the Chinese Ministry of Finance said in a statement released on Friday afternoon, East Coast time — or early Saturday morning in Beijing. Those products will come primarily from the agricultural, automobile and aquatic industries, the statement said.

It also compiled its own $16 billion list of 114 products — including chemicals, energy and medical equipment — that will be imposed at a later date, likely after Trump makes a final decision to move forward on the second set of U.S duties.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer characterized the move Friday as something "that’s been in train for a while."

"It’s thorough, it’s moderate, it’s appropriate," he said in an interview on Fox Business. "Our hope is it doesn’t lead to a rash reaction from China. We’re just trying to get back to even.”

He added that the U.S. hopes the action leads to further negotiations with China and “to China changing its policies, at least with respect to us, and opening up their market.”

Beijing first said weeks ago that it was likely to target agricultural products like soybeans — a crop crucial to Trump’s political base in the U.S. heartland — as well as cars and aircraft.

U.S. farm groups quickly voiced concerns that Trump's move against China on Friday could deeply harm an industry that has struggled in recent years amid stubbornly low commodity prices.

“For American farmers this isn’t theoretical anymore, it’s downright scary,” Brian Kuehl, executive director of the advocacy group Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement Friday. “It’s no longer a negotiating tactic, it’s a tax on their livelihoods.”

Some lawmakers and business groups added their voices to the chorus of opposition, warning that while China’s intellectual property practices need to be addressed, tariffs are not the right approach.

“Tariffs will harm American and Chinese businesses and consumers, and will put economic growth in both countries at risk,” Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a statement. “Ill-conceived trade actions that weaken the American economy, alienate allies, and invite retaliation against American businesses, farmers and ranchers, undermine our nation’s ability to successfully confront China’s unfair trade policies."

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed Trump's strategy. “The president’s actions on China are on the money," the New York Democrat said in a statement. "China is our real trade enemy, and their theft of intellectual property and their refusal to let our companies compete fairly threatens millions of future American jobs."

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also strongly supported the tariffs, calling them an "EXCELLENT move."

The White House had previously paused its rollout of the duties as the two countries pursued trade talks, but Trump appeared to lose patience last month and ordered his administration to finalize the list of targeted goods. The action appeared to be a clear statement that he wasn't happy about the direction of talks with Beijing.

The Trump administration is planning still more trade actions against China, including a set of investment restrictions and export controls that are also aimed at curbing Chinese acquisition of “industrially significant” technology.

The White House has said those restrictions will be announced by June 30. Lighthizer said Friday the goal is to stop China from forcing U.S. companies to hand over valuable technology and data, calling technology America’s “biggest advantage.”

Victoria Guida, Sabrina Rodriguez and Doug Palmer contributed to this report.

