Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed concern over the deepening division of the global economy into two blocs led by the United States and China. She warned that such fragmentation could result in a long-term decline in global GDP by nearly 7%.

Okonjo-Iweala stressed that the geopolitical-driven split in global trade poses a serious threat that demands coordinated international action. The WTO is calling on countries to address this challenge through cooperation and dialogue rather than confrontation.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his administration’s hardline stance, announcing that Washington would raise tariffs on Chinese goods to 125%, citing what he called Beijing’s "disrespect" toward global markets. He also signed an executive order introducing "reciprocal" tariffs on imported goods from various countries, setting a minimum base rate of 10%. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, these increases are calculated based on trade deficit metrics to achieve fair trade balance.

In response, China announced new tariffs of 34% on all U.S. imports. Trump responded by threatening additional duties unless China repeals its retaliatory measures and declared that the U.S. would not return to negotiations with Beijing unless those tariffs are lifted.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the increased U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods—up to 104%—took effect as of April 2.