Trump urges US to 'hang tough' as 10% tariffs come into effect

His comments, made as he travelled to meet government ministers in Italy, came days before the Trump administration introduces tariffs on goods of up to 50% on 9 April to what it calls the "worst offenders" for trade imbalances with the US. In his first term in office, Trump scorned a proposed free-trade deal with the EU, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership, but a bubbling trade war was ended after he put threats to impose tariffs on European cars aside in 2018. In a statement a day later, China's foreign ministry urged Washington to "stop using tariffs as a weapon to suppress China's economy and trade, and stop undermining the legitimate development rights of the Chinese people".