China Escalates Trade War as Trump Isolates Xi in Tariff U-Turn

China has hit back at the US after Donald Trump’s dramatic reversal on tariff threats isolated Beijing as the primary target of his trade offensive, dimming the prospect of immediate de-escalation.

The Chinese government on Thursday said it will reduce the number of US films allowed to enter the country, hours after Trump imposed record duties on China’s imports and paused those on dozens other countries. The decision opens a new front in a confrontation that until now centered on the trade in goods and relied largely on tariffs and export controls as a means of retaliation.