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Investing.com--Chinese and Hong Kong stocks nursed steep losses on Monday after Beijing retaliated against sweeping U.S. tariffs, deepening fears of a prolonged trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
The blue-chip Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index declined nearly 6%, while the Shanghai Composite also shed 6%. Both indexes reached their lowest level since late September 2024.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng plunged 8.8% to its lowest level since early February, led lower by technology and export-driven firms.
Tensions escalated sharply last week as U.S. President Donald Trump moved ahead with a new wave of reciprocal tariffs, with a 34% additional tariff on China, on top of the 20% duties already in place. Additionally, Trump reaffirmed the 25% tariff on imported automobiles and auto parts, scheduled to begin on April 9.
Beijing also retaliated with a sweeping 34% tariff on a wide swath of U.S. imports, including agricultural products, energy commodities, and key tech components.
The tit-for-tat tariffs have rattled global markets and stoked fears of a deeper slowdown in global trade.
"After earlier measured responses to the fentanyl tariffs still kept some hopes for negotiation alive, it looks like the second trade war is well under way," ING analysts said in a recent note.
Hong Kong-listed Alibaba (HK:9988) shares slipped 12%, while Baidu (NASDAQ:BIDU) Inc (HK:9888) stock fell more than 10%.
Technology, auto, and industrial stocks bore the brunt of the losses, with heavyweight names like BYD Co (HK:1211), Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (HK:0981), and SAIC Motor (SS:600104) plunging between 6% and 11%.
Geely Automobile (HK:0175) shares dropped 11%, while Xpeng (NYSE:XPEV) Inc (HK:9868) stock slid 10%.