Beijing. China announced Friday it will raise tariffs on US goods from 84 percent to 125 percent, effective Saturday, in response to the latest round of tariff hikes imposed by the United States.

The move marks a sharp escalation in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. While US President Donald Trump recently paused tariff hikes on some countries, he continued to ratchet up pressure on China. Beijing had earlier vowed to respond with "countermeasures," condemning Washington’s actions as “economic bullying.”

President Trump’s tariff policy against China now totals 145 percent when including a separate 20 percent levy tied to China’s alleged role in fentanyl production. That 20 percent tariff was not part of the 125 percent figure announced Wednesday.

Trump’s aggressive approach has drawn criticism from business leaders, who warn that continued escalation could trigger a recession. Several major US trading partners have already responded with their own import taxes, though some were temporarily spared under the recent pause. Nonetheless, Washington and Beijing have pressed ahead with tit-for-tat tariff increases.

“The US repeatedly raising abnormally high tariffs on China has turned into a numbers game with no real economic purpose,” a spokesman for China’s Finance Ministry said in a statement. “It will go down as a joke in the history of the world economy. However, if the US insists on substantially infringing on China’s interests, China will resolutely counter and fight to the end.”

China’s Commerce Ministry said it has filed a new complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the US tariffs.

Last week, Beijing suspended imports of sorghum, poultry, and bonemeal from select US companies, tightened export controls on rare earth minerals critical to high-tech industries, and blacklisted several American firms from purchasing dual-use goods.

With both economies deeply integrated into global trade, experts fear the escalating dispute could lead to widespread economic disruption.

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned earlier this week that the US-China trade war could “severely damage the global economic outlook.”