Exclusive | US tipped to take direct aim at China as Trump team loses patience on trade
Former White House adviser says the car industry could be among those next in line for US penalties
China can expect more unilateral trade action from the administration of US President Donald Trump as the world’s two biggest economies tussle over trade next year, according to a former White House senior economic adviser.
Daniel Rosen, a White House international economic policy adviser from 2000 to 2001, said Sino-US trade disputes were manageable but the trend was towards more confrontation, with the US expected to wrap up investigations into Chinese aluminium imports and allegations of Chinese theft of intellectual property next year.
Rosen, a partner with US consultancy Rhodium, said the fallout from the investigations could affect other industries, including the car industry.
“The administration has also signalled quite clearly that these cases can be applied to other products as well. I would expect other industries are likely to come forward and explore similar remedies for Chinese trade,” he said on the sidelines of a Hong Kong seminar on China’s economic reform organised by the Trade Development Council on Thursday.