President Donald Trump escalated his trade offensive against China on Monday, announcing an amendment to Executive Order 14195 that hikes tariffs on Chinese imports from 10% to 20%, citing Beijing’s failure to curb the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids into the U.S.
The move, effective immediately, follows a February warning shot and signals a tougher stance as Trump’s border crackdown—slashing crossings 95% per CBP—pivots to global supply chains.
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“Tomorrow—tariffs 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico. And that’ll start,” Trump told reporters yesterday, pairing it with Monday’s China salvo: a 10% bump atop last month’s levy, now totaling 20%. Invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trade Act of 1974, Trump’s latest order slams the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for not taking “adequate steps” since his February 1 decree flagged the opioid influx as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. security, policy, and economy.
“The crisis … has not abated,” Trump wrote, amending EO 14195—tweaked February 5—to double the ad valorem tariff rate on PRC goods outlined in a Federal Register notice. The White House frames it as a cudgel to force China’s hand on fentanyl precursors flooding through Mexico, a scourge killing over 70,000 Americans yearly, per CDC data.
READ: Trump’s 25% Tariffs On Mexico And Canada Begin Tomorrow, Igniting Trade War Fears
Markets flinched—stocks dipped 1.5% Monday—as the tariff duo with yesterday’s Mexico-Canada bombshell stokes trade war fears. China’s $500 billion in annual U.S. exports, from electronics to toys, now faces a steeper hit, risking price hikes for consumers already reeling from Trump’s border-focused duties. Beijing’s vowed retaliation, with state media hinting at rare-earth export curbs, looms large.
The amendment, bypassing Congress via emergency powers, leaves agency roles intact and sidesteps legal challenges with a no-rights clause.
As Trump preps Friday’s Crypto Summit, his opioid tariff play—echoing border troop deployments—tests his pledge to choke the drug trade at its source. With North America braced and China in the crosshairs, Tuesday’s tariff rollout marks a high-stakes gamble in Trump’s America First crusade.
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