Donald Trump says he would impose tariffs on China again if re-elected in November
- Donald Trump says tariffs on China could exceed 60 per cent, but he was not planning another trade war
- Trump imposed US tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods in 2018 and 2019
Former US president Donald Trump said he would impose more tariffs - possibly in excess of 60 per cent - on China if he is elected again.
Responding to a Washington Post report on him mulling a sweeping 60 per cent tariffs on all Chinese imports if elected, Trump said in a Fox News interview on Sunday: “No, I would say maybe it’s going to be more than that”.
Trump is the front runner for the Republican nomination in the US presidential race this year. In 2018 and 2019, his administration imposed tariffs of up to 25 per cent on hundreds of billions worth of Chinese goods. To retaliate, China also attached additional tariffs on certain US goods.
In the interview, Trump said he was not planning on another trade war.
“Not a trade war. I did great with China, with everything. China came in, they were going to destroy our steel industry, and I put tariffs, big tariffs,” Trump said. “And they stopped it.”
In 2018, the Trump administration levied a 25 per cent tariff on steel imports – including those from China - and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium, citing national-security risks and the need to protect domestic manufacturers from global overproduction of the metals.