The Chinese Finance Ministry said the charges were in response to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum that took effect March 23. But a bigger dispute looms over Trump's approval of possible higher duties on nearly $50bn of Chinese goods in a dispute over technology policy.
Forecasters say the immediate economic impact should be limited, but investors worry the global recovery might be set back if other governments respond by raising their own import barriers. Those fears temporarily depressed financial markets, though stocks have recovered some of their losses.
Effective Monday, Beijing raised the tariff rate on pork products, aluminum scrap and some other products by 25 percent, the ministry said. A 15-percent tariff was imposed on apples, almonds and some other goods.
The government said earlier that China's imports of those goods last year totaled $3bn.
China's latest move targets farm areas, many of which voted for Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
