Summary

Media caption,

How is the trade war with the US affecting people in China?

  1. Experts are answering your tariff questions from 12:30 BST - watch livepublished at 12:22 British Summer Time 10 April

    A black banner which says 'your voice your BBC news'

    So much has happened in the last few weeks as Trump announced his sweeping tariffs, let alone his major U-turn in the past 24 hours.

    To help us unpack this, the BBC News Channel is answering your questions about the fast-changing global trade landscape.

    For this, we've called on the expertise of:

    • Laura Davison, politics editor at Bloomberg
    • Linda Yueh, an economist at the University of Oxford
    • Chris Johnston, senior editor at Business Insider

    They'll be answering your questions at the top of this page from 12:30 BST, hit Watch Live to follow along - or we'll be bringing you some of their most interesting answers here in this feed.

  2. The current state of play with tariffspublished at 12:11 British Summer Time 10 April

    Donald Trump's tariff boardImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Donald Trump abandoned his tariff board yesterday when he adopted a 90-day pause

    With the EU and Donald Trump now in a 90-day holding pattern over tariff measures - more on that in our posts below - here's the state of play on the import taxes currently in place:

    US vs China

    As it stands, the US has a 125% tariff on goods from China, while Beijing has set tariffs of 84% on US imports.

    Steel and aluminium

    Tariffs of 25% are in place on all aluminium and steel exported to the US - that has been the case since mid-March.

    Cars and car parts

    Since 3 April, there have also been 25% tariffs in place on the importing of foreign cars into the US.

    From 2 May, this is set to also include car parts.

    Separate 10% tariffs

    A slate of separate 10% tariffs on all imports into the US replaced a varied list of figures - including those who Trump termed the ‘worst offenders’ - for 90 days after Trump announced a pause for countries yesterday.

    But this rate does not apply to Canada and Mexico, who are key trading partners of the US.

  3. EU had planned three-phase retaliatory strategy against US tariffspublished at 11:49 British Summer Time 10 April

    As we just reported, the European Union has announced a pause on counter measures against the United States on import taxes into the bloc.

    We can now bring you a bit more insight into the measures the EU had planned to take to counter those tariffs.

    Twenty-six EU member states – which is everyone bar Hungary - voted to impose the countermeasures just hours before Trump announced his 90-day pause on implementing the tariffs yesterday.

    Under the European Commission’s plans, the retaliatory measures would be introduced in three phases starting on 15 April – with €3.9bn ($4.3bn) worth of stuff the US sells to EU countries affected.

    On 15 May, another €13.5bn ($14.9bn) of goods were scheduled to be impacted, followed by a further €3.5bn ($3.8bn) from 1 December.

    These tariffs were in response to the 25% import taxes President Trump imposed on all steel and aluminium that came into force in mid-March. They applied to both the EU and the rest of the world.

  4. EU pausing tariff countermeasures for 90 dayspublished at 11:35 British Summer Time 10 April
    Breaking

    The European Union says it is pausing its countermeasures on President Trump's tariffs for 90 days.

    In a statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says that the EU wants "to give negotiations a chance" after Trump announced yesterday that there would be a 90 day pause for nations hit by higher US import tariffs.

  5. Ireland's deputy PM says negotiations with US 'likely'published at 11:16 British Summer Time 10 April

    Simon Harris, shoulders upwards, wearing a navy suit and red tieImage source, PA Media

    Simon Harris, Ireland's deputy prime minister, says negotiations with the US are “likely” after his meeting with the US commerce secretary yesterday.

    "It has been my consistent position and the consistent position of the Irish government and the European Union that we need to get into substantive, calm, measured dialogue with the United States,” Harris says.

    He adds: "It has always been our preference that would have happened before tariff announcements. Clearly that was not the position of the United States."

    The European Union - which Trump considers one of the "worst offenders" - had been due to receive customised tariffs of 20%.

    In response, the EU approved a first set of retaliatory tariffs against the US, due to take effect on 15 April.

    But Trump's most recent announcement set a baseline tariff of 10% on all imports from the 27-member European Union - including Ireland.

  6. 'One man's manure is another man's money': A view from the short sellerspublished at 11:02 British Summer Time 10 April

    Mitchell Labiak
    Business reporter

    Not everyone loses out when share prices fall.

    Some traders are short sellers who borrow stocks and immediately sell them. If the value goes down, they buy them back cheaper and pocket the difference.

    It's not a typical investment strategy - and comes with a big slice of risk - but has paid off for some.

    Fraser Perring, a short seller from Viceroy Research, remembers Trump's 'Liberation Day' announcement well.

    "My phone started blowing up when he [Trump] held up the bingo card," Perring says. "The amount of messages I had coming through saying 'WTF - this is great for us'."

    Perring won't disclose how much he has made since cashing in his shorts.

    "But we're happy. One man's manure is another man's money."

  7. European stocks have risen but have not fully recoveredpublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 10 April

    Mitchell Labiak
    Business reporter

    European traders - and anyone with a pension invested in European stocks - will likely be breathing a sigh of relief today as markets rebounded across the continent.

    However, it is important to put those rises in context - with the FTSE, Dax, Cac 40, and Ibex 35 all down from their pre “Liberation Day” highs.

    Over the month to today, the four big indexes are all down between 5% and 10%.

    Line chart showing movements in the FTSE 100, Dax, Cac 40 and Ibex 35 stock indices, indexed to market opening on 2 Apr 2025. The FTSE 100 had dropped to 88 by 08:09 on 7 April (BST), but was back at 93 by 08:39 on 10 April. The Dax had dropped to 83 by 08:03 on 7 April, but had risen to 93 by 08:39 on 10 April, the Cac 40 had dropped to 86 by 08:09 on 7 April but partially recovered to 93 by 08:39 on 10 April. The Ibex 35 had dropped to 87 by 08:15 on 7 April but had risen back to 94 by 10 April.
  8. 'Yippy' - what exactly was Donald Trump talking about?published at 10:43 British Summer Time 10 April

    Adam Goldsmith
    Live reporter

    Donald Trump golf swingImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Was Donald Trump referring to the notorious golf 'yips' when he blamed 'yippy' countries for the pause in tariffs?

    When Donald Trump explained why he had put a 90-day pause on his sweeping tariff scheme, he told reporters that it was because countries had started to get "yippy".

    But what exactly did the president mean by this; was the keen golfer referring to the so-called yips that so often hinder a clean putt? Or something else entirely?

    Dr Robbie Love, a senior lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at Aston University, tells me that "yip" can be traced back as far as the 1400s, where there is evidence of it being used to refer to the cheeping sound of a newly hatched bird.

    But, by the 20th Century this had been adapted to refer to "high-pitched barking of small dogs" and also "any kind of short, high-pitched cry, including those made by people," Love explains.

    "The adjective ‘yippy’ seems to be derived from this sense - describing [in this case in humans] a quality of excitable/anxious [and also perhaps annoying] yelping, like a dog."

    The expert, though, stresses that he can't be sure whether this is exactly what Trump intended to imply when he addressed reporters outside the White House.

    "He may have meant that he'd been inundated with communications about the tariffs, and/or perhaps he meant something closer to 'skittish,'" Love observes.

    "Or perhaps it reveals something about how he regards the leaders of other countries."

  9. Markets up, China resists and UK negotiations continuepublished at 10:27 British Summer Time 10 April

    Rachel Flynn
    Live reporter

    A woman stands under monitors at the Hana Bank in Seoul, which shows stocks in South Korea risingImage source, EPA

    Morning hasn't broken just yet in Washington DC, but the world is still reacting to yesterday's tariff U-turn.

    Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause for nations hit by higher US tariffs, while raising tariffs on goods from China to 125%.

    Here's what's happened so far on Thursday:

  10. Got some questions about the latest tariff updates? Tune in at 12:30 BSTpublished at 10:15 British Summer Time 10 April

    Your Voice, Your BBC News banner in black with two white rectangles and at the centre, a red square divided into four sections each containing the photo of a person

    Another day, another change to Trump's tariff policy.

    A lot has happened in the last 24 hours - which we've summarised here. Those updates have created even more questions - which our correspondents will be answering live at 12:30 BST.

    You can follow along by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

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  11. Trading ends higher on Asian marketspublished at 10:07 British Summer Time 10 April

    Stock markets in Asia have closed for the day, and there is some relief for traders there.

    • China's CSI300 ends 1.35% higher
    • In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index rises 2.1%
    • The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.2%

    Stock markets in India were closed for a public holiday today.

  12. 'Laws of economics' will stop Trump achieving promises - former US trade representativepublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 10 April

    Trump and Xi shaking hands in front of their respective flagsImage source, Reuters

    Former assistant US trade representative for China affairs under Barack Obama's administration, Jeff Moon, says "the laws of economics" will stop Trump achieving what he is promising will come after tariffs.

    "Even if someone wanted to move a factory back to the US, that takes years. That's not something you can snap your fingers and have right away," Moon tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

    He mentions some products, like iPhones, are supplied by a "complex ecosystem in China" so can't translate to the US quickly.

    Trump's attack on Beijing will "stiffen the Chinese spine," Moon says, suggesting if President Xi were to back down "his grip on power would be in jeopardy".

    "I'm not optimistic that [any] negotiations will result in very much. We've negotiated with China for decades and not got anywhere...so there is no easy way out of all of this," Moon says.

  13. How much trade goes between China and the US?published at 09:28 British Summer Time 10 April

    The trade in goods between the two economic powers added up to around $585bn (£429bn) last year.

    The US currently runs a trade deficit with China: last year, the US imported far more from China ($440bn) than China imported from America ($145bn).

    In his first term as president, Trump imposed significant tariffs on China, which were kept in place and added to by his successor Joe Biden.

    Together those trade barriers helped to bring the goods the US imported from China down from a 21% share of America's total imports in 2016 to 13% last year.

    This means US reliance on China for trade has diminished over the past decade - though analysts point out that some Chinese goods exports to the US have been re-routed through south-east Asian countries.

    You can read more on what a US-China trade war could do to the world economy.

    A graph showing that US imports from China are significantly higher than US exports to china
  14. The winners and losers on the FTSE this morningpublished at 09:12 British Summer Time 10 April

    Mitchell Labiak
    Business reporter

    Fice people carrying pull-along suitcases walk past a branch of Barclays bank.Image source, Getty Images

    The FTSE 100 has jumped this morning following President Trump's reversal with green across the board.

    Some firms have had a better morning than others, and some have had a pretty bad morning.

    The biggest winner is Barclays which leapt 30% on opening though has since settled down to 14%. JD Sports and Rolls Royce were up 11% and 10% respectively.

    Despite the bumps elsewhere, it was a bad day for UK supermarkets. In its results this morning, Tesco referenced a price war between them. Its shares fell 6% while its rival Sainsbury's fell 4.8% and Marks & Spencer dropped 2.6%.

  15. US acting out of 'selfish interests', China's foreign ministry sayspublished at 08:59 British Summer Time 10 April

    China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian speaking at a lecternImage source, EPA

    China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian says China's response to US tariffs "will continue to the end" and Beijing will not let the "interests of Chinese people be deprived, or the trading system be undermined".

    He says the US is acting out of "selfish interests" and is using tariffs as a weapon to exert maximum pressure and "seek selfish gains".

    "This undermines the rules-based trade system and destabilises global economic order," he continues.

    "This move is against the whole world," he says, adding that it will "end in failure" and that the US is putting its own interests over those of the international community.

  16. Last 24 hours reinforce that the government needs to continue what it is doing, says Cooperpublished at 08:44 British Summer Time 10 April

    The home secretary is asked whether the last 24 hours have put her off being able to rely on the US as a trading partner.

    Cooper replies saying it actually reinforces that the government needs to continue what it's doing.

    She mentions supporting British industry, getting investment - mentioning the Bedfordshire Universal Studios theme park announcement yesterday - and being a "stable place" for investors to come to and "continue to support key industries".

    Paddington BearImage source, Sony Pictures
    Image caption,

    The Bedfordshire Universal Studios theme park, due to open in 2031, is expected to feature rides based on Paddington

  17. Cooper says businesses want to know the government is acting in their interestpublished at 08:42 British Summer Time 10 April

    Cooper goes on to say the British government will continue to negotiate on tariffs, adding that their position is "we should be reducing barriers to trade".

    The government wants to see trade barriers reduced both for the UK and around the world, which is what the trade secretary is doing, she says.

    “Businesses want to know the UK government is acting in their interest,” Cooper adds.

  18. UK position will 'remain the same' - Cooperpublished at 08:36 British Summer Time 10 April

    Cooper says that global instability will "continue for some time", but stresses that she doesn't want to see a global trade war.

    As a result, the home secretary says that the government's position will remain the same; keeping a steady approach and negotiating to the benefit of the UK.

  19. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to be quizzed on tariffspublished at 08:34 British Summer Time 10 April

    Yvette CooperImage source, EPA

    We're just about to hear from UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who we expect to be questioned on tariffs on Radio 4's Today programme.

    The UK is facing a 10% charge on exported goods to the US, though Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggests that he is hoping to reach an agreement with the US to limit the impact of tariffs.

    We'll bring you what Cooper has to say here as soon as we get it, and you can listen to the interview live here.

  20. Four of Trump's 'worst offenders' respond to tariff pausepublished at 08:18 British Summer Time 10 April

    von der leyenImage source, Getty Images

    For countries on Donald Trump’s so-called worst offenders list, there was a sigh of relief when tariffs were downgraded to 10% suddenly last night.

    Here's how some of the world’s leaders have reacted to the 90-day pause so far:

    • Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk urges all parties to “make the best” of the 90 day pause, stressing that maintaining strong relations with the US “is a common responsibility of Europeans and Americans”
    • Vietnam Deputy PM Ho Duc Phoc says that the US and Vietnam expect to start “negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement” which “would include tariff agreements”
    • Germany's incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the pause proves a united European approach to trade has a positive effect, adding: "Europeans are determined to defend ourselves and this example shows that unity helps most of all"
    • And, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomes Trump’s decision, which she calls an “important step towards stabilising the global economy”. The EU, she says, remains committed to negotiating with the US towards its goal of a “zero-for-zero tariff agreement"