Trump may have hit the brakes on reciprocal tariffs levied against many of the US’ top trading partners, but the duties imposed on China will reach a staggering 145% on certain goods.

The year-on-year expansion matched China’s growth rate in the fourth quarter and exceeded Beijing’s full-year target for 2025, as well as the 5.1 per cent forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll. The strong first-quarter growth came despite Trump’s first salvo of 20 per cent tariffs,