Michigan and China to team up on car technology as more trade war tariffs loom
The Trump administration is expected to announce tariffs of up to 25 per cent on US$200 billion worth of Chinese products but US governor says the focus should be on the long term
The US state of Michigan and China’s science ministry are planning to team up on car technology in a deal signed in Beijing on Monday, despite the threat of more trade tariffs from Washington.
In the Chinese capital heading up a business delegation from the state, Michigan governor Rick Snyder said he and Science and Technology Minister Wang Zhigang did not discuss the trade war in their talks, keeping the focus on technology, particularly autonomous vehicles.
He said he was optimistic about bilateral ties but was concerned that the tariffs would affect some of the state’s agricultural products.
“What I would say is, people still saw value coming here to build relationships, because we all hope the issues could get resolved so we can get back doing more trade together,” he said.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has labelled China a strategic competitor and has criticised the country for what it says are forced technology transfers and theft of intellectual property. The complaints come as China continues to push its “Made in China 2025” technological development plan.
The US is expected to announce tariffs of up to 25 per cent on US$200 billion worth of Chinese products, on top of the levies on US$50 billion of products that Washington and Beijing have already imposed on each other.
The Trump administration’s sanctions list covers most Chinese technology and manufacturing products, while China has so far targeted US agricultural goods and commodities.