Staggered US tariffs leave crack in door open to trade war talks with China – and avoid taking bite out of Apple
Gradual introduction of the duties will give businesses time to adjust and Beijing and Washington a chance to ease the conflict
Washington’s latest tariffs on Chinese goods give US companies time to change business tack and temporarily shield heavy-hitters like tech giant Apple, according to analysts.
The two-phase duties also gave both countries a chance to go back to the negotiation table before the full force of the tariffs was felt, they said.
In the strongest escalation of the US-China trade war yet, the administration of US President Donald Trump announced on Monday it would impose 10 per cent tariffs on US$200 billion in Chinese imports from September 24, raising the rate to 25 per cent on January 1.
The White House also threatened tariffs on the rest of China’s exports to the United States, valued at US$267 billion.
Observers said Washington’s decision to stagger the rate increases gave American companies time to adjust their operations and the public a chance to get used to the idea of consumer price rises before the peak Christmas spending season.
“[The] idea is to give US companies an opportunity to adjust supply chains where possible,” a US business representative close to previous trade talks said.