The already strained trade relationship between the United States and China is nearing a critical breaking point as the White House warns Beijing against further retaliation amid intensifying tariff measures. In a press briefing held on April 11, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt issued a stern caution to China, emphasizing that additional tariff responses from Beijing would be “not good for China,” and suggesting that Washington holds the upper hand in the economic standoff.

Leavitt’s comments came just days after US President Donald Trump implemented sweeping new trade tariffs, including a universal 10% tariff on all imports and even higher “reciprocal” tariffs on specific nations. While over 75 countries have reportedly engaged in trade negotiations with the US in response to the new policy, China was notably excluded from the 90-day reprieve that Washington offered to several others. Instead, the tariff rate on Chinese goods was hiked to a staggering 145%, prompting an immediate and fierce response from Beijing.

China retaliated by slapping a 125% tariff on US goods entering the country. In its official statement, the Chinese government denounced Washington’s policy as “economic bullying” and warned that if the US continued escalating trade tensions, it risked becoming a “joke” in the annals of global economic history.

Despite the heated rhetoric from Beijing, Leavitt downplayed China’s countermeasures, suggesting they were both ineffective and shortsighted. “The phones have been ringing off the hook to make deals,” Leavitt told reporters, highlighting that many countries........

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