China slaps tariffs on US meat and fruit in trade war retaliation

• Video report by ITV News Correspondent Geraint Vincent

China is retaliating against Donald Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, with new tariffs on US meat, fruit and other products.

The announcement follows warnings Chinese officials have made for several weeks in an escalating trade dispute with the United States.

China's Customs Tariff Commission is increasing the tariff rate on eight imported US products, including pork, by 25%.

It is also imposing a new 15% tariff on 120 imported US commodities, including fruits.

The Chinese finance ministry said in a statement that the new tariffs begin on Monday.

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The tariffs mirror Trump's 25% charge on imported steel and 15% hike on aluminium.

Trump's tariffs are partly a response to complaints that Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.

The Chinese tariffs resulted in worries over protectionist trade policies and controversy surrounding technology companies, prompting some investors to pull money out of the US market.

That meant steep drops on Monday from former big winners including Netflix, Microsoft and Alphabet, Google's parent company.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell as much as 758 points, although major indexes regained some of their losses later in the afternoon.