China threatened Friday to tax an additional $60 billion a year worth of U.S. imports if the Trump administration imposes its own new levies on Chinese goods.

 

The threat comes two days after President Donald Trump ordered his administration to consider increasing the rate of tariffs it has already proposed on $200 billion a year of Chinese goods — everything from chemicals to handbags — to 25 percent from 10 percent.

 

The United States and China, the world’s two biggest economies, have for months been engaged in an escalating trade dispute. While they have targeted each other’s products, the interconnected nature of the global economy has meant that other regions, like Europe, have also been caught up in the back-and-forth.

 

Beijing and Washington, D.C., imposed matching tariffs last month on $34 billion apiece of each other’s products and have plans to add $16 billion worth of goods to their lists. Previous rounds of tariffs cover a lengthy list of products, from steel and aluminum to washing machines.

 

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