The United States has said that 104% duties on imports from China will take effect shortly after midnight Washington time, even as the Trump administration moved to quickly start talks with other trading partners targeted by President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff plan.
US stocks retreated on the news.
Global markets had previously posted gains on hopes that Mr Trump might be willing to negotiate down the array of country and product-specific trade barriers he is erecting around the world's largest consumer market.
The administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major trading partners, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is due to visit next week.
But the White House made clear that country-specific tariffs of up to 50% would nevertheless take effect at 12.01am Eastern Time (5.01am Irish time), as planned.
This includes a 20% tariff on goods imported to the US from the European Union.
The country-specific tariffs will be especially steep for China, as Donald Trump has ratcheted up duties on its imports to 104% in response to counter-tariffs China announced last week.
China has refused to bow to what it called "blackmail" and has vowed to "fight to the end".
Administration officials said they would not prioritize negotiations with the world's No 2 economic power.
Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs have raised fears of recession and upended a global trading order that has been in place for decades.
"Right now, we've received the instruction to prioritize our allies and our trading partners like Japan and Korea and others," White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Fox News.
The White House said Mr Trump instructed his trade team to create "tailor made" deals for the nearly 70 countries that have reached out for talks.
Mr Trump's lead trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, told Congress that his office is trying to work quickly but is not facing a particular deadline.
"The president has been clear, again, that he's not doing exemptions or exceptions in the near term," Mr Greer told lawmakers.
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Price increases expected as companies plan for new world of tariffs
China is bracing for a war of attrition, and manufacturers are warning about profits and scrambling to plan new overseas plants.
Citing rising external risks, Citi cut its 2025 China GDP growth forecast to 4.2% from 4.7%.
Three out of four Americans expect prices to rise as Mr Trump's tariffs kick in, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Chipmaker Micron told customers it will impose a tariff-related surcharge starting tomorrow, while US clothing retailers said they are delaying orders and holding off on hiring.
Running shoes made in Vietnam that now retail for $155 will cost $220 when Mr Trump's 46% tariff on that country takes effect, according to an industry group.
Read more: World markets rebound after recent heavy losses
Consumers are stocking up while they can.
"I'm buying double of whatever - beans, canned goods, flour, you name it," Thomas Jennings, 53, said as he pushed a shopping cart through the aisles of a New Jersey Walmart.
Stock markets found a firmer footing today after a gut-wrenching few days for investors which prompted some business leaders, including those close to Mr Trump, to urge the president to reverse course.
European shares bounced off 14-month lows after four straight sessions of heavy selling, while global oil prices steadied after falling to four-year lows.
Wall Street's main indexes had posted gains earlier in the day, but fell after the White House said the tariffs on China would take effect.
EU mulls 25% counter-tariff
The European Commission, meanwhile, is mulling counter-tariffs of 25% on a range of US goods including soybeans, nuts and sausages, though other potential items like bourbon whiskey were left off the list.
Officials said they stood ready to negotiate.
The bloc is struggling with tariffs on automobiles and metals already in place, and faces a 20% tariff on other products tomorrow.
Mr Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on EU alcoholic drinks.
European pharma companies, also fearful of the tariff fallout, warned the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a meeting that Mr Trump's tariffs would expedite the industry's shift away from Europe and towards the United States.
Pharma trade lobby EFPIA, whose members include European pharma giants Bayer, Novartis and Novo Nordisk, said it had called on Ms von der Leyen to push for "rapid and radical action" to mitigate the "risk of exodus" to the United States.
Pharmaceuticals were exempt from sweeping tariffs on US imports announced by Mr Trump last week but he has said they will face separate tariffs.
Earlier, Ms von der Leyen called for China to ensure a negotiated solution to problems caused by the sweeping import tariffs imposed by Mr Trump.
In a phone call with China's Prime Minister Li Qiang, Ms von der Leyen "stressed the responsibility of Europe and China, as two of world's largest markets, to support a strong reformed trading system, free, fair and founded on a level playing field," her office said in a statement.
Both leaders discussed setting up a mechanism to track possible trade diversion caused by the tariffs, Ms von der Leyen's office said, as the EU fears China will redirect cheap exports from the US to Europe.
