Some of the largest ASX 200 mining shares fell dramatically on Monday, before somewhat recovering on Tuesday.
Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) fell 2.12% on Monday before rising 1.61% on Tuesday.
Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) fell 2.2% on Monday followed by a rise of 1.8% on Tuesday.
BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) fell 1.78% on Monday before rising 0.74% on Tuesday.
Why the sudden drop in ASX mining shares?
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump announced an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods which came into effect on Tuesday.
This (along with tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports) saw global markets fall on Monday, including a 1.79% drop for the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO).
Canada and Mexico negotiated a 30-day delay on the tariffs, while China retaliated with its own economic measures targeting the United States.
According to CNN, China's Ministry of Finance announced a 15% tax on certain types of coal and liquefied natural gas and a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars and pickup trucks.
The measures take effect on February 10.
What does this mean for Australian mining shares?
On Monday, the Motley Fool's chief investment officer, Scott Phillips, explained how these tariffs can impact Australian products like coal, iron ore and natural gas.
Higher tariffs on Chinese imports into the USA will almost certainly reduce demand for those products. And I don't need to remind you that China is our largest trading partner. According to DFAT, China bought $219 billion worth of Australian exports in 2023, fully one-third of everything we sent offshore.
So it's probable that any Chinese economic impact will have echoes in that country's demand for Australian exports.
Ultimately, China is the main buyer of Australian resources, especially for mining giants Rio Tinto, Fortescue and BHP.
For context, China is Rio Tinto's largest customer, with about 250 million tonnes of iron ore shipped each year.
Any slowdown in China's manufacturing and construction sectors due to these tariffs could lead to reduced demand for Australian exports.
At the time of writing, all three companies have seen share price decreases over the last 12 months.
Rio Tinto and BHP shares have fallen 9.57% and 14.9%, respectively, while the Fortescue share price has plunged a hefty 35.57%.
It seems more volatility could continue in the short term for ASX mining shares due to the sensitive situation between the US and China.
