China's retaliatory tariffs against US farm produce from corn to chicken are designed to hurt Donald Trump's voter base, but remain restrained enough to allow room for the adversaries to hash out a trade deal, analysts say.

Since taking office in January, Trump has unleashed a storm of tariffs against friends and foes alike, this week hiking blanket duties on Chinese products, adding to a plethora of existing levies.

Beijing swiftly responded with countermeasures targeting imports of American farm products -- many of which are produced in the rural heartlands that voted resoundingly for Trump in the November election.

The Chinese tariffs "are being calibrated to hit Trump where it hurts -- in the agricultural red states that voted him in," said Even Pay, an agriculture analyst at Trivium China, a policy research firm.

"These responses are also being rolled out rapidly... (indicating) officials in Beijing already have a game plan and likely have an extensive menu of potential targets," she told AFP.

China imported $29 billion of US farm produce in 2023, more than any other country, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

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