Earlier this week, President Trump threatened to make the steep tariffs on China even steeper if China did not withdraw its retaliatory measures. Today, Trump kept his promise by levying a 104% tariff on Chinese goods that he then raised to 125% later in the day.

This episode: White House correspondents Asma Khalid and Tamara Keith and international correspondent John Ruwitch.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs & Kelli Wessinger and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.

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The world is reacting to President Trump's announcement of new tariffs on nearly every country on the planet. The move is meant to re-shape the global trading order and some countries are being hit harder than others. NPR correspondents around the world are hearing anger, dismay, threats of retaliation and bewilderment.

China has long been the world's factory, but it's economy is starting to face serious headwinds. Demand for Chinese goods has slumped, China is saddled with too much industrial capacity and heavy debt. And now a tariff war with the United States further darkens China's economic outlook. We have two reports on reactions to China's economic state. We hear how the Chinese government is encouraging business investment, but it's a hard pitch to sell in a communist state that hasn't always been kind to entrepreneurs. And how Vietnam, another communist country, seeks to capitalize on China's uncertain future and is experiencing a manufacturing boom.

A series of deadly attacks within China in recent weeks have killed dozens and left people uneasy. Those who carried out the attacks have been seemingly ordinary people who authorities say became disgruntled or unhappy. Our correspondent brings us to the site of one recent attacks and says these incidents are raising difficult questions about society and the government.

In China the government is raising the official retirement age to combat a rapidly shrinking workforce. We hear reaction from Chinese workers. And life in Mexico City presents many challenges for people there. But getting a driving license isn't one of them.

Every five years China's Communist Party holds a meeting in secret called the "third plenum". And while it may sound arcane, there are a lot of important policy decisions that have come out of this meeting. Our correspondent in Beijing tells us what is at stake for the meeting this week.

Authorities in Venezuela are using all manner of tricks to try to ensure President Nicholas Maduro is reelected next month. However, as we hear, it seems that the stunts and intimidation are not working.

And in China, the number of American's studying abroad is increasing, but is nowhere near pre-COVID levels. We look at why.

President Putin starts his first foreign trip of this new term: a two-day visit to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Here's the significance of this trip and what we can expect from it,

The Chinese government just released new economic data following the big May holiday week. Our correspondent reports from Shanghai about how the world's second largest economy is faring.

China launched three astronauts into space last week while Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting the country. Likely a coincidence, it still stood as a reminder of China's lofty space goals.

The U.S. is increasingly concerned about the impact of Chinese overcapacity on manufacturing and the impact that will have on American businesses and workers.

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have passed new national security legislation that carries severe punishment for a broad range of offenses, including life imprisonment for acts deemed to be insurrection.

Lawmakers in Hong Kong passed a new national security law. The government casts it as a bid to make the territory safer but some think it may erode Hong Kong's standing as a global financial hub.

For many young Chinese these days, the calculus of having a child is changing. We hear from two women in China — one pregnant with a "dragon baby," and one not.

U.S. stocks have been soaring in recent weeks. But in China, the market has been headed in the opposite direction, and the government in Beijing is starting to pay attention.

China's been the main source of precursor chemicals for the potent drug, and President Biden has made combating fentanyl a policy priority — in the face of tens of thousands of overdoses each year.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang spoke this week at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, saying the Chinese economy was doing just fine. Signals out of Beijing have been conveying a different message.

Voters in Taiwan go to the polls Saturday to pick a new president and legislature. It's being watched closely because democratic Taiwan works closely with the U.S., but it is also claimed by China.

Voters in Taiwan go to the polls on Saturday to pick a new president. The government in Beijing is watching very closely, but are people in China paying that much attention?

China has installed a new defense minister hailing from the navy, months after his predecessor was removed with no explanation.