China’s tit-for-tat duties on U.S. imports took effect Monday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he wants to slap new duties on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. The rapid-fire shots of tariffs and import curbs hearken back to Trump’s first term in office, when the U.S. and China engaged in a trade war that spanned most of Trump’s first four years in office and was continued to a certain extent under his successor, Joe Biden. Less than a month after returning to the White House on Jan. 20, Trump slapped 10% duties on all Chinese imports, a move that’s expected to raise prices on goods including laptops, toys and fast fashion.

China responded with 15% duties on coal and liquefied natural gas products, and a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. Beijing also launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Google and added PVH, the owner of U.S. fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, to its “unreliable entity” list. China also restricted the exports of five rare metals used as key components in the defense and clean energy industries among others. As the new frictions threaten to escalate into a trade war, here are some key moments in the countries’ years long trade spat:

March 2017 Shortly after becoming U.S. President for the first time, Trump, determined to reduce trade deficits with other countries, signs an executive order calling for tighter tariff enforcement in anti-dumping cases. April 2017 During a visit to Beijing, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree to a 100-day plan for trade talks meant to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with China. The trade talks fail by July. August 2017 Trump launches an investigation into alleged Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property, which the U.S. estimated was costing it up to $600 billion a year.

January, 2018 The United States has announced 30% tariffs on imported solar panels, the majority of which come from China. In April 2018, China imposed tariffs on $3 billion in US imports, with 15% charges on fruits, nuts, wine, and steel pipes and 25% on pork, recycled aluminum, and six other goods. A day later, the United States raises the stakes by imposing a 25% tariff on Chinese aerospace, machinery, and medical products worth approximately $50 billion. China retaliates with 25% tariffs on aircraft, vehicles, soybeans, and chemicals, among other goods totaling approximately $50 billion.

June–August 2018 The two countries implement at least three additional rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs, affecting more than $250 billion in Chinese goods and more than $110 billion in US imports to China. These include 10% tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, which went into effect in September 2018 and are scheduled to escalate to 25% on January 1, 2019.

December 2018–May 2019. Washington and Beijing fail to reach a trade agreement despite agreeing to postpone fresh tariffs in December 2018. After the discussions fail, Trump raises tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion in Chinese imports. In May 2019, Washington prohibited Chinese technology company Huawei from purchasing parts and components from US companies. In June 2019, Trump and Xi agreed to continue trade discussions over the phone. However, the talks faced several challenges over the next five months. January, 2020 The United States and China sign a Phase One trade agreement, under which China agrees to purchasing an additional $200 billion in US goods and services over the following two years. However, a study group later discovered that China had bought essentially none of the goods it had promised.

October 2022 Biden, who had retained most of the tariffs enacted under Trump, issues sweeping new restrictions on selling semiconductors and chipmaking equipment to China. These curbs will be expanded in October 2023 and December 2024. February 2024 On his campaign trail, Trump says that he plans to impose tariffs of at least 60% on all Chinese imports if he wins a second term in office. May 2024 Biden raises tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment. Feb. 4, 2025 New 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports to the U.S. come into effect. China retaliates the same day by announcing a flurry of countermeasures, including the duties on American coal, liquefied natural gas and agricultural machinery