Donald Trump ‘probably planning’ for tariffs on all Chinese goods after G20
- US president’s move, if implemented, would dramatically escalate his months-long trade war with Beijing
- Decision on goods not already subject to 25 per cent taxes would occur ‘over the next two weeks, probably right after the G20’, he says
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is “probably planning” to slap tariffs on the remaining US$300 billion of untaxed Chinese imports some time after he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the G20 in late June.
The decision to put punitive duties on Chinese goods not currently subject to 25 per cent taxes would be made “over the next two weeks, probably right after the G20”, Trump told reporters at a D-Day ceremony in Europe.
“One way or another, I’ll make that decision after the G20,” said Trump, who personally estimates the value of goods to be taxed at US$325 billion, contrary to his trade chief's figure of around US$300 billion.
“I’ll be meeting with President Xi and we’ll see what happens, but probably planning it sometime after G20,” Trump said, following speeches he and French President Emmanuel Macron delivered in Caen, France.
The meeting between Trump and Xi is expected to take place on the sidelines of the annual summit that is to be held this year in Osaka, Japan, on June 28 and 29.
However, analysts said mixed signals from Trump make it difficult to determine where the tariff war is headed.
Even as he restated the tariff threat, Trump’s comments indicated “a continued willingness to have dialogue with China, and that he wants to be personally involved,” said Scott Kennedy, a senior advisor at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.