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China warns of 'countermeasures' against any deals that harm its interests

Minnesota Public Radio April 21, 2025

People walk past a screen showing the CSI 300 Index at a shopping mall in Guangzhou, in southern China's Guangdong province.

Jade Gao/AFP via Getty Images

As the Trump administration negotiates trade deals with other countries, China has issued a warning against any agreements that harm its interests.

China's commerce ministry says it respects the efforts of others to try to resolve trade disputes with the U.S. through consultation. But it warns that it will take "corresponding countermeasures" if any deals are struck at the expense of China's interests. It did not give details.

The comments come after reports that Trump is hoping to use tariff negotiations with other countries to isolate China. At the same time, Trump has said he wants to do a deal with Beijing. This month he raised the base tariff on Chinese imports to a dizzying 145%. China responded in kind, with high tariffs on U.S. goods.

The Chinese commerce ministry says seeking tariff exemptions by harming the interests of others will only lead to failure on both sides and ultimately hurt everyone.

Business of the Day / Local News

Business of the Day Winners – $500 Badger, $200 Lynn Anderson, $100 Artie Barnes, $100 Joyce Kellogg

KLFD April 21, 2025

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Business

Our Canada Connections: How some Canadians are responding to Trump's tariffs

Minnesota Public Radio April 21, 2025

Check out this preview of what Angela and Chris heard on their trip.

For decades, Minnesotans and Canadians have been friends and trading partners. But President Trump’s tariff policies have raised questions about the future of the relationship between Minnesotans and our neighbors to the north.

MPR News host Angela Davis and Chris Farrell, senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace, drove up the North Shore and across the border to talk with Canadians living in Thunder Bay, Ontario. On the way, they talked with Minnesotans who live and work near the border, too.

Coming up at 9 a.m. Monday, join Angela and Chris for their special, “Our Canada Connections.” Find out how Canadians are talking about Americans and what they are doing differently. And you’ll hear what some Minnesota business owners are noticing about the Canadian visitors they rely on for nearly a third of their business.

Check out the video above to hear what Angela and Chris learned on their trip.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Entertainment

This Day in Music

KLFD April 21, 2025

On this day in music, April 21, 2016, the flamboyant, influential, and sometimes controversial Minneapolis musician, Prince, died aged 57. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, he began his career in the late 1970s, finding acclaim with albums like Controversy and 1999. In 1984, he achieved even broader success with the hit movie Purple Rain and its multi-platinum soundtrack album. A musical shapeshifter, whose unique style embraced R&B, funk, pop, rock, jazz, and hip-hop, Prince was also famed for his spectacular live shows. In the 90s, during a dispute with his label Warner Bros, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, becoming known for a time as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

In 2013, DJ/producer Calvin Harris entered the history books when he became the first recording artist to score eight UK Top 10 hits all from a single album (2012’s 18 Months). Born Adam Wiles in Scotland, Harris surpassed Michael Jackson’s previous record-breaking tally of seven Top 10 smashes each from the albums Bad and Dangerous.

In 1990, Sinead O’Connor topped the Billboard Hot 100 with her haunting interpretation of the Prince-written “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a song which the latter artist first recorded with his side project, The Family, in 1985. The single spent a month at the summit of the US pop charts and also went to No.1 in 18 other countries.

In 1978, 31-year-old singer-songwriter Sandy Denny passed away. The London-born artist rose to fame in 1968 as part of the folk group Fairport Convention, then left to form her own band, Fotheringay, the following year, before launching her solo career in 1971. She is best remembered for her classic song “Who Knows Where the Time Goes,” which was covered by Judy Collins in 1968.

In 1984, ex-Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins chalked up his first of seven US chart-topping singles with “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now),” taken from the soundtrack to the romantic thriller movie of the same name. It stalled at No.2 in the UK.

In 1990, Paul McCartney set a new world record when his concert at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro drew an audience of 184,000. At the time, it was the largest crowd to attend a rock concert.

BORN ON APRIL 21

1919: Don Cornell (Singer)
1947: Iggy Pop
1951: Nicole Barclay (Fanny)
1958: Mike Barson (Madness)
1959: Robert Smith (The Cure)
1959: Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)
1960: John Maher (Buzzcocks)
1963: Johnny McElhone (Altered Images, Texas)