Donald Trump mulls extra US$100 billion punitive tariffs on China imports
White House announcement comes two days after the US Trade Representative’s office said it would slap US$50 billion tariffs on China
US President Donald Trump said his administration might levy punitive tariffs on an additional US$100 billion worth of Chinese imports, raising the stakes in tit-for-tat trade action Washington and Beijing are aiming at each other.
The White House announcement came two days after the US Trade Representative’s office said that tariffs will be slapped on some US$50 billion worth of imports from the country. In response to USTR’s move and earlier ones targeting aluminium and steel imports, China placed punitive tariffs on an equivalent amount of imports of US products including soybeans, pork and aircraft.
“In light of China’s unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR to consider whether US$100 billion of additional tariffs would be appropriate under section 301 and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs,” Trump said in a White House statement.
“I have also instructed the Secretary of Agriculture, with the support of other members of my Cabinet, to use his broad authority to implement a plan to protect our farmers and agricultural interests.”
I have great respect for the President of China, President Xi [Jinping] … but he’s representing China, and I’m representing the United States of America
Trump has staked his reputation on a strong economy and job creation, metrics that have kept his support levels stable amid multiple investigations into connections between some of his former campaign aides and alleged interference by Russia in the election that brought Trump to power.