New levies on $50b in goods to show Washington policy's price

China's decision to slap an additional 25 percent tariff on 659 types of US goods worth $50 billion should remind the United States government that the trade war that it has initiated has a price tag.

China imposed the tariff on US goods such as agricultural, automotive and aquatic products immediately after the administration of US President Donald Trump announced on Friday tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Beijing's quick reaction is an unequivocal manifestation of its determination to safeguard its legitimate interests and fight protectionism.

The White House's tariff decision is a stark violation of the core spirit of consensus reached in recent China-US trade talks and is set to backfire if Washington does not back off from its dangerous adventurism.