News

China counters with tariffs on US products and says it will investigate Google

04 Feb 2025 2 minute read

Google’s HQ in California. Image: Google

China’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Tuesday it was implementing counter tariffs against the US on multiple products while announcing other trade-related measures, including an investigation into Google.

The government said that it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquified natural gas products, as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-displacement cars.

Statement

“The US’s unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organization,” a statement said.“It is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the US.”The 10% tariff that President Donald Trump ordered on China was set to go into effect on Tuesday, though Mr Trump planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next few days.China’s State Administration for Market Regulation on Tuesday said it is investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws.

While the announcement did not specifically mention any tariffs, the announcement came just minutes after Mr Trump’s 10% tariffs were to take effect.

It is unclear how the investigation will affect Google’s operations.

Blocked

Google has a limited presence in China, and its search engine is blocked in the country like most other Western platforms.It exited the Chinese market in 2010 after refusing to comply with censorship requests from the Chinese government and following a series of cyberattacks on the company.Google did not immediately comment.

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