CHINA RETALIATES: Massive Trade War Heats Up as China Launches 34% Tariffs on US & Export Controls

The looming trade war continues to wreak havoc in stock markets worldwide. The AEX in Amsterdam opened with a loss of 4 percent on Monday morning, compared to closing on Friday. The markets continued to fall, hitting -7 percent shortly after opening at 9:00 a.m. The sell-off began last week after U.S. President Donald Trump announced blunt, wide-ranging tariffs on imported goods from most of its trading partners, a decision which was met days later by a retaliatory tax from China.

At 9:39 a.m., the AEX stood at 788.41, down 52.88 since Friday’s close. Almost all funds on the AEX opened in the red. The heaviest losses so far were to Aegon (-8.24% to 4,867 euros), Randstad (-7.88% to 32.64 euros, and ING (7.65% to 14,722 euros).

The Dutch technology companies also sustained heavy losses. Philips was down 7.01 percent to 19.35, ASM International was down 7.04 percent to 345.90 euros, BE Semiconductor dropped 6.57 percent to 83.00 euros, ASML dropped 7.00 percent to 524.60 euros, and DSM was down 5.25 percent to 84.44 euros

The funds were dropping so quickly, it was hard to keep up.

The French CAC opened with a 7 percent loss, the BEL20 in Belgium opened 5 percent in the red, according to RTL Nieuws. The losses are expected to increase. Many main funds have not opened trading yet due to the expected significant price drops.

The markets were even more negative in Asia. The Hong Kong stock market (HKEX) plummeted by as much as 12.5 percent, according to ANP. The Shanghai stock market (SSEC) fell by 8 percent, and the Nikkei in Tokyo was down over 6 percent shortly before the stock market closed. In Taiwan (TWSE), the stock market lost almost 10 percent.

The stock markets in India (NSE) and Australia (ASX) both lost around 4 percent.

On Wednesday, Trump introduced his latest gambit in trade policy, introducing the tariffs he bluntly proposed during his 2024 re-election campaign. The tariffs were without nuance, drawing criticism from economists and policy makers including DNB President Klaas Knot, the head of the Dutch central bank.

“This has nothing to do with economic theory. If it weren’t so serious, I’d call it laughable,” Knot said on Nieuwsuur a day after Trump’s announcement.

CHINA LAUNCHES GLOBAL DIGITAL PAYMENT NETWORK BYPASSING SWIFT

The People's Bank of China just connected its digital RMB to 10 ASEAN and 6 Middle Eastern nations, covering *38% of global trade*.

This bypasses SWIFT and the US dollar entirely.
Payments now clear in 7 seconds, not 3-5 days.
Fees slashed by 98%.

Middle Eastern energy traders are in.

ASEAN’s RMB trade hit 5.8 trillion yuan. Thailand settled oil in digital RMB.

While the US debates if digital currency is a threat, China has already built a global network across 200 countries.

This isn’t just payments. It’s a Digital Silk Road. It’s de-dollarization in action. And it’s happening NOW.

This changes EVERYTHING.

Welcome to Bretton Woods 2.0.

As The Economist called it, this is the “Outpost Battle” that’s reprogramming the global economy with blockchain tech.

Here’s why this is MASSIVE:

⚡ 7-second cross-border clearing vs SWIFT’s 3-5 day delay

⚡ Digital Currency Bridge = instant, borderless payments

⚡ Shift of power from the U.S. dollar to digital RMB

We’re witnessing the rise of a new financial era — and the U.S. dollar is under direct threat like never before.

Global trade. Blockchain. Decentralized finance. It’s all converging right now.

DJ, Western media may focus to much on the trump-tariff-insanity, ignoring the Chinese step...