The list of products on the US tariff list hits close to China’s tech dreams

List includes items ranging from touchscreens to chemicals

US-China trade war

Andrew Barclay

Published: 10:00pm, 4 Apr, 2018

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This article originally appeared on ABACUS

The US government has released the list of products it will begin targeting with a 25 percent tariff, and as expected, it includes products that are central to China’s tech industry.

The list doesn’t include cell phones, but does include many of their components -- like semiconductors and lithium-ion batteries.

And there are also a range of non-tech products among the 1,333 items on the list, including poultry-keeping machinery, rifles, artificial joints and even flamethrowers.

The release comes amid rising tensions between the world’s two largest economies, with fears of a trade war increasing.

Despite concern from some industry watchers that the move might lead to higher prices for consumers -- the reaction from many was relief that the list didn’t include consumer items.

China said it would respond with similar countermeasures, adding in a statement: “As the Chinese saying goes, it is only polite to reciprocate.”

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