Long story short

• President Donald Trump says the U.S. will hike tariffs on most imports from China as his trade war with Beijing escalates.
• The U.S. will raise duties on $250 billion in Chinese goods to 30% from 25% and increase tariffs on another $300 billion in products to 15% from 10%.
• Earlier, China announced new tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods, and Trump ordered U.S. companies to find an “alternative” to operating in China.

What’s going on here?

• President Donald Trump will hike tariff rates on most imports from China in response to the latest shots in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
• The White House will raise existing duties on $250 billion in Chinese products to 30% from 25%. The tariffs on another $300 billion in Chinese goods will now be 15% instead of 10%.
• The president said he would increase the pressure on Beijing as part of his long-held goal to force China to change what he calls unfair trade practices. Trump has fired more shots in the trade war as he seeks a sweeping trade deal with Beijing — even as the tariffs threaten global economic growth.

What does that mean?

• In a statement Friday announcing the tariffs, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative called Beijing’s planned tariffs on U.S. goods “unjustified.” It said it would publish in the Federal Register “as soon as possible any additional details” on the new duties Trump announced.
• Trump’s tweets about China earlier Friday helped to send major U.S. stock indexes spiraling more than 2% for the day. The trade war intensified in the morning when China announced new tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for the U.S. duties on $300 billion in Chinese products.
• Trump then tweeted that American companies “are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA.”
• U.S. business groups roundly denounced the president’s statement, saying it jeopardized their operations. Some critics questioned whether it was realistic to cut off relationships with China, which sends more goods to the U.S. than any other country.

The bigger picture

• Earlier Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman boosted markets by saying the central bank would take the steps necessary to sustain economic growth. He said the U.S. economy is in good shape despite trade concerns dragging on the global economy.
• Trump responded by questioning whether Powell or Chinese President Xi Jinping is the “bigger enemy” of the United States. Trump’s implication that Xi is an enemy of the U.S. is potentially a bad omen for trade talks, as the U.S. president previously touted his friendship with the Chinese leader.
• As stocks rolled lower during the afternoon, Trump appeared to make a joke about the market drop. A president who spent recent days deflecting any concerns about a slowing economy suggested Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton’s exit from the 2020 presidential race hit markets.

Content source: Pramuk. J. (2019) Trump will raise tariff rates on Chinese goods in response to trade war retaliation. CNBC. Available from: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/23/trump-will-raise-tariff-rates-on-chinese-goods-in-response-to-trade-war-retaliation.html [Accessed 24 August, 2019]