Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trade Battle: China Raises Tariffs on $60 Billion in U.S. Goods
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
May 13, 2019

Share

BEIJING — Deepening its trade battle with the U.S. and sending financial markets spinning, China announced tariff hikes Monday on $60 billion of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products.

Punitive charges of 5% to 25% on thousands of American products including batteries, spinach and coffee will take effect June 1, the Finance Ministry said. That extends Chinese duty increases to $110 billion of imports from the United States.

The announcement followed an increase of U.S. duties on $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25% from 10% in the increasingly bitter dispute. American officials have accused China of backtracking on commitments they say it made in earlier negotiations.

On Twitter, Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) his country “will be hurt very badly” if it doesn’t agree to a trade deal.

Trump tweeted China “had a great deal, almost completed, & you backed out!”

The president insisted increases on Chinese goods don’t hurt American consumers, saying there is “no reason for the U.S. Consumer to pay the Tariffs.”

Beijing Is Running out of U.S. Imports for Penalties

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow acknowledged Sunday that U.S. consumers and businesses do pay the tariffs. “Both sides will pay,” he told Fox News.

A 25% tariff applies to 2,493 items including industrial chemicals, electronic equipment, precision machinery and hundreds of food products, according to the Finance Ministry. A 20% penalty applies to 1,078 items, 10% to 974 items and 5% to 662 items.

China had vowed “necessary countermeasures” on Friday against Trump’s escalation.

Frazzled by the uncertainty, shares sank Monday across the globe. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 622.10 points or 2.4%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 sank 2.5% in early trading.

China’s announcement Monday said tariff increases are going ahead based on a list of $60 billion of U.S. goods Beijing released in August. That list was issued in response to Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% from 10%. Beijing said then it wouldn’t take action until the U.S. increases took effect, which finally happened on Friday.

A 25% tariff applies to 2,493 items including industrial chemicals, electronic equipment, precision machinery and hundreds of food products, according to the Finance Ministry. A 20% penalty applies to 1,078 items, 10% to 974 items and 5% to 662 items.

Beijing is running out of U.S. imports for penalties due to the lopsided trade balance between the world’s two largest economies. Regulators have targeted American companies in China by slowing down customs clearance for shipments and processing of business licenses.

The new tariffs are likely to hurt exporters on both sides, as well as European and Asian companies that trade between the United States and China or supply components and raw materials to their manufacturers.

 

The Latest Talks Ended With No Word of Progress

The increases already in place have disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment and sent shockwaves through other Asian economies that supply Chinese factories.

Forecasters have warned that the U.S. tariff hikes could set back a Chinese recovery that had appeared to be gaining traction. Growth in the world’s second-largest economy held steady at 6.4% over a year earlier in January-March, supported by higher government spending and bank lending.

The tensions “raise fresh doubts about this recovery path,” said Morgan Stanley economists Robin Xing, Jenny Zheng and Zhipeng Cai in a report.

The latest U.S. charges could knock 0.5 percentage points off annual Chinese economic growth and that loss could widen to 1 percentage point if both sides extend penalties to all of each other’s exports, economists say. That would pull annual growth below 6%, raising the risk of politically dangerous job losses.

The latest talks ended with no word of progress on Friday. Chinese officials said they hoped that the U.S. side would meet them halfway, describing the standoff as just a “setback.”

Trump might meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during next month’s meeting of the Group of 20 major economies in Osaka, said Kudlow, his economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.

Trump Started Raising Tariffs Last July

China’s state media tried to reassure businesses and consumers the ruling Communist Party has the resources and policy tools to respond.

“There is nothing to be afraid of. The U.S.-instigated trade war against China is just a hurdle in China’s development process. It is no big deal.” — People’s Daily

“There is nothing to be afraid of,” said the party newspaper People’s Daily. “The U.S.-instigated trade war against China is just a hurdle in China’s development process. It is no big deal.”

Trump started raising tariffs last July over complaints China steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.

Washington wants Beijing to roll back government support for Chinese companies striving to become global leaders in robotics and other technology. The U.S. and other trading partners say such efforts violate Beijing’s free-trade commitments.

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Breaking Down the Lawsuit vs. Community Health System

DON'T MISS

Friant Needs $90 Million to Pay for Massive Canal Project. Who Will Pony Up?

DON'T MISS

UCLA Can’t Let Protesters Block Jewish Students From Campus, Judge Says

DON'T MISS

Ukraine’s Surprise Attack Has Forced Russia to Change Plans

DON'T MISS

Californians Will Vote on $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Want $25 and More.

DON'T MISS

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

DON'T MISS

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

DON'T MISS

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

DON'T MISS

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

DON'T MISS

What the Republican Party Might Look Like if Trump Loses

UP NEXT

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

UP NEXT

Japan’s Prime Minister Prepares to Step Down. Why, and What’s Next?

UP NEXT

Ukraine Says It Has Taken More Ground and Prisoners During Its Advance Into Russia Border Region

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes on Gaza Leave Children Without Parents and Parents Without Children

UP NEXT

Police Investigate Fatal Shooting in Southeast Fresno

UP NEXT

Leaked Videos Reveal Project 2025’s Radical Plans for Trump-like Administration

UP NEXT

Former Cornell Student Gets 21 Months in Prison for Posting Violent Threats to Jewish Students

UP NEXT

Iran Rejects European Leaders’ Call to Refrain From Any Retaliatory Attacks

UP NEXT

Iran’s Vice President Resigns, Signaling Deep Divisions as Cabinet Takes Shape

UP NEXT

Top Ukrainian Commander Says His Forces Now Control Almost 390 Square Miles of Russia’s Kursk Region

Ukraine’s Surprise Attack Has Forced Russia to Change Plans

2 hours ago

Californians Will Vote on $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Want $25 and More.

3 hours ago

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

4 hours ago

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

4 hours ago

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

4 hours ago

WHO Declares Mpox Outbreaks in Africa a Global Health Emergency as a New Form of the Virus Spreads

4 hours ago

What the Republican Party Might Look Like if Trump Loses

5 hours ago

Vikings QB McCarthy Needs Surgery on Meniscus Tear in Right Knee

5 hours ago

Japan’s Prime Minister Prepares to Step Down. Why, and What’s Next?

5 hours ago

Ukraine Says It Has Taken More Ground and Prisoners During Its Advance Into Russia Border Region

5 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Breaking Down the Lawsuit vs. Community Health System

GV Wire Multimedia Journalist Edward Smith talks with KMPH Fox 26 “Great Day” anchor Kim Stephens about Community Health System being sued b...

12 mins ago

12 mins ago

Wired Wednesday: Breaking Down the Lawsuit vs. Community Health System

36 mins ago

Friant Needs $90 Million to Pay for Massive Canal Project. Who Will Pony Up?

2 hours ago

UCLA Can’t Let Protesters Block Jewish Students From Campus, Judge Says

2 hours ago

Ukraine’s Surprise Attack Has Forced Russia to Change Plans

3 hours ago

Californians Will Vote on $18 Minimum Wage. Workers Want $25 and More.

4 hours ago

Ricardo Lara Deserves Credit for Trying to Solve California’s Home Insurance Crisis

4 hours ago

Mark Gardner on Giants’ 2014 World Series Title, Why Fresno Turns Out Great Players

4 hours ago

Presented With Rise in Border Crossings, Kamala Harris Chose a Long-Term Approach to the Problem

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend