Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment. President Donald Trump raised U.S. tariffs on China to a combined 145 percent, prompting the Chinese to retaliate with a 125 percent levy on American imports.

Yet it isn’t clear how they would move beyond that—and whether that initial step would reduce the uncertainty gripping the global economy.The economic and political stakes are high. With 145% tariffs on Chinese imports and levies of 125% on U.