bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jodi Xu Klein

An industry group representing Walmart, Target, Apple and other major US retailers has urged the Trump administration to remove more than 650 items from a list of Chinese imports subject to future tariffs, saying US consumers would be the ones hardest hit.
“Consumers, not China, will ultimately be the ones paying the tariffs imposed on millions of consumer products,” the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said on Thursday.
The request came on the same day that previously announced tariffs on US$16 billion worth of Chinese imports went into effect, adding to the US$34 billion levied last month.
Watch: Origins and impact of US-China trade war


The trade group was responding to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of another round of tariffs on US$200 billion more of Chinese goods.
Mattresses are on the proposed 301 tariff list; 301 is a bed tax. Replacing a light bulb will be more expensive because of the tariff – 301 is a double tax every time you turn on the lights
Hun Quach, VP of the retail trade group RILA
The Office of the United States Trade Representative is finalising the list of products subject to the new duties, and the inter-agency “301 Committee” is holding six days of public hearings on the subject. The committee is named after the “Special 301 Report” into intellectual property rights released by the office in April.
The retail association’s comments follow those of other industry groups appearing before trade officials, who have heard expressions of anger and frustration as business representatives speak of the financial havoc the tariffs will impose.
US retailers have already been hit hard by the administration’s import taxes and tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, China and the European Union, and the new round of tariffs will only inflict more pain.
RILA, which represents more than 200 retailers, said that it supported the administration’s goal of holding China accountable, but that “tariffs are not the answer in getting China to take action”, said Hun Quach, a vice-president of the group who will testify before the committee on Friday.
“The administration made the commitment to put minimum pain on consumers,” Quach said. “We urge the administration to keep that commitment to the American people.”
More than tariffs: China sees trade war as new US containment tactic
The association asked that more than 650 items be removed from the proposed list of products subject to duties, saying they “will make the items Americans use every day less affordable”.




Tariffs were a hidden tax that will cut into the streak of record growth, Quach said, promising to illustrate their impact on American consumers on Friday.
“Need a new mattress? Better buy it soon,” she said. “Mattresses are on the proposed 301 tariff list; 301 is a bed tax. Replacing a light bulb will be more expensive because of the tariff – 301 is a double tax every time you turn on the lights.
“Everything you need to get ready in the morning – from bar soap, make-up, electric shavers, hair appliances and accessories, even your toilet paper, will get hit with the 301 tariff.”
New tariffs on China will hit American hip pockets, say US firms
The association also listed frozen shrimp, salmon, table lamps, shavers, plastic rain jackets and toilet paper as items whose prices would rise.
Retailers have started looking for ways to mitigate the cost increases. Walmart has asked its beauty suppliers to consider sourcing products from countries other than China, media reports this week said.
﻿Watch: Trade war fears for Chinese pork


Walmart’s chief financial officer, Brett Biggs, said in an earnings call last week that the company was “closely monitoring the tariff discussions” and was “actively working on mitigation strategies, particularly in light of potentially escalating duties”.
Trump seeks ‘results-oriented’ ties with China as resumption of trade talks nears
In July, Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated the company’s position that tariffs could have “unintended consequences” for both consumers and the economy.
In defending the tariffs, the Trump administration has cited China’s ambition to become a world leader in tech and innovation, detailed in the “Made in China 2025” plan.
The Information Technology Industry Council, which represents global technology companies such as Google and Samsung, said the administration should focus on China’s cybersecurity law, not its tech programme.


China’s UN chance, tariff challenges, ‘don’t poke the dragon’: 7 US-China relations reads

Economists rebuke Trump’s currency claims, explain why Beijing wants yuan stable

Hong Kong slams new Trump tariff on Chinese imports, says ‘rectify wrongdoing’

Chipmaker TSMC’s US-investment vow shows Asia a way around tariffs

US-China trade war

Tariffs are a hidden tax on American consumers, Walmart, Apple and other retail giants tell US trade panel

Shipping containers sit on a Hong Kong-based CSCL East China Sea ship at the Port of Oakland in northern California. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

US trade panel hears harsh criticism of proposed new tariffs – and praise for Chinese craftsmanship

A inter-agency US government committee is holding hearings in Washington about the impact of proposed new tariffs on imported Chinese goods, part of a spiralling trade war. Photo: Reuters

Ross Bishop

News

China

Politics

World

United States & Canada

As public hearings continue, the chorus of voices of opposing additional duties on Chinese imports grows louder
