Last month, after the U.S. leveled tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports and after China retaliated in kind, Beijing described the escalating trans-Pacific antagonism as "the largest trade war in economic history."

Now, both nations have upped the ante once again.

In the early morning hours Thursday, the U.S. slapped long-promised tariffs of 25 percent on an additional 279 Chinese products, amounting to $16 billion. The levies were imposed over what the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative calls "China's unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property."

Beijing wasted no time responding — literally. At precisely 12:01 a.m. ET, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce released a statement vowing to "make the necessary counterattacks." And then it matched the Trump administration's move with tariffs on $16 billion worth of U.S. imports, ranging from diesel fuel and coal to medical instruments and cars.

The Commerce Ministry also declared that it plans to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization "in order to defend free trade and the multilateral system, and defend its legitimate rights and interests."

Combined with the round of tariffs that took effect in early July, two countries have imposed tariffs on a total of $100 billion of their traded goods.

And the tit-for-tat is unlikely to stop there.

Earlier this month, both sides mused publicly that they were considering measures beyond those implemented Thursday, which had been expected for weeks. Shortly after the White House said it was considering raising tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods, to 25 percent from 10 percent — tariffs that have not yet gone into effect — China answered that it would retaliate with four kinds of tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods.

Late last month, President Trump said he's "ready to go to 500" — threatening to impose tariffs on imports of all Chinese goods. The U.S. imported $505 billion worth of Chinese goods last year, according to Census Bureau data.

The U.S. has used tariffs as a stick with a number of nations in recent months, slapping levies on products from Canada and Mexico to Turkey the European Union — and has in turn been hit with retaliatory tariffs.

Some U.S. manufacturers have said their businesses have already been impacted by tariffs on products such as steel and aluminum, and consumers may soon start to feel more of a pinch if companies pass along those costs.

David Wessel of the Brookings Institution explained on NPR's Morning Edition some exported U.S. goods, such as almonds, have seen their prices drop domestically because Chinese tariffs have driven down demand abroad. But he adds that many other products, such as washing machines, have risen dramatically in price recently.

"Different businesses will make different decisions. Some will absorb the cost of the tariffs in their profits and not raise prices so much. Others will raise prices," Wessel said. "A lot have been trying to do it for the last couple of years and have been unable to do so. If you raise prices, you're never going to say it's because, well, 'I want to make more money' — you're going to blame it on the tariffs."

Even as China and the U.S. trade tariffs, a Chinese delegation meeting with their American counterparts for trade talks this week in Washington, D.C. And a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson expressed guarded optimism about how they're going.

"We certainly hope the talks could lead to good outcomes," Lu Kang told reporters Tuesday, "but one thing you should know is that we prefer no unnecessary prejudgments and predictions."

The day before, however, Trump told Reuters that there's "no time frame" for ending the trade dispute, and that he doesn't "anticipate much" from the trade negotiations in Washington. </s> WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) The United States will increase tariffs by another five percent on $550 billion worth of Chinese goods that are already being taxed in response to Beijing's new retaliatory measures, US President Donald Trump said in a statement.

"Starting on October 1st, the 250 billion Dollars of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25 percent will be taxed at 30 percent," Trump said via Twitter on Friday.

The US president also said the tariff on the remaining $300 billion worth of Chinese goods and services that will go into effect on September 1 will now increase from 10 percent to 15 percent.

Earlier on Friday, the Chinese State Council said tariffs ranging from 5 to 10 percent would be applied to $75 billion worth of US goods, with some taking effect on September 1 and others on December 15.

The latter batch will also include a 25 percent duty on American cars.

The US Trade Representative's office in a statement said it will begin implementing the tariffs effective October 1 after a notice and comment period. The remainder will go into effect on the already scheduled dates

For the 10% tariffs on approximately $300 billion worth of Chinese imports that the President announced earlier this month, the tariffs will now be 15%, effective on the already scheduled dates for tariff increases on these imports.

China's newly announced tariffs on Friday are in response to Trump's announcement earlier this month of the initial 10 percent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods, although some items have since been removed from the list and others delayed until after the holiday shopping season. </s> The Chinese government Monday said that from June 1 it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods from the United States, in response to the latest measure adopted by President Donald Trump.

It was a new chapter in the bitter trade dispute between the two countries, China responded to the last tariff increase ordered by Trump on Friday, which affects Chinese goods worth $200 billion. </s> • The US will impose a 25% tariff on $16 billion worth of Chinese goods starting August 23.
• The tariff will mostly apply to industrial equipment, like tractors and chemicals.
• The move is the latest escalation of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

The United States will impose a 25% tariff on another $16 billion worth of Chinese goods starting August 23, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced Tuesday.

The new set of measures are the second tranche of tariffs that President Donald Trump originally announced in March, following tariffs imposed on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports that went into effect in early July. It represents the latest salvo in the ever-expanding trade war between the US and China.

The 279 items that will be hit with tariffs at the end of August are mostly industrial goods such as tractors, plastic tubes, and measurement equipment like speedometers.

Trump has threatened to levy a 25% tariff on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports to the US – a move that would blow open the disagreement between the countries. China responded by promising to hit $60 billion worth of US goods coming into the country with tariffs.

The Trump administration has maintained that the tariffs are necessary to force China into changing economic behavior it says harms the US. For instance, the major complaint is about the theft of US intellectual property by Chinese firms.

China, on the other hand, argues that the tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and only harm both countries. Beijing is expected to hit $16 billion worth of US goods with equal tariffs in response to Tuesday’s move.

Economists warn that a prolonged trade war between China and the US could end up increasing prices for American consumers and hurting US businesses. But given the lack of talks and Trump’s unclear goals, the trade war doesn’t appear to be close to a resolution.

Here’s a timeline of the US-China trade war so far:
• March 1: President Donald Trump announces tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum, including metals from China.
• March 22: Trump announces plans to hit $50 billion worth of Chinese goods with a 25% tariff. China announces tariffs in retaliation to the steel and aluminum duties and promises a response to the latest US announcement.
• April 3: The US trade representative announces a list of Chinese goods subject to the tariffs. There is a mandatory 60-day comment period for industries to ask for exemptions from the tariffs.
• April 4: China rolls out a list of more than 100 US goods worth roughly $50 billion that are subject to retaliatory tariffs.
• May 19: After a meeting, the two countries announce the outline of a trade deal to avoid the tariffs.
• May 29: The White House announces the tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods will move forward, with the final list of goods released June 15. The move appears to wreck the nascent trade deal.
• June 15: Trump rolls out the final list of goods subject to new tariffs. Chinese imports worth $34 billion would be subject to the new 25% tariff as of July 6, with another $16 billion worth of imports subject to the tariff at a later date. China retaliates with an equivalent set of tariffs.
• June 18: Trump threatens a 10% tariff on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
• July 6: The first tranche of tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods takes effect; China responds in kind.
• July 10: The US releases an initial list of an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that could be subject to a 10% tariff.
• August 1: Washington more than doubles the value of its tariff threats against Beijing, announcing plans to increase the size of proposed duties on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25% from 10%.
• August 3: China announces that the country will impose tariffs of various rates on another $60 billion worth of US goods if Trump moves forward with his latest threat.
• August 7: The US announces that the second tranche of tariffs, which will hit $16 billion worth of Chinese goods, will go into effect on August 23. </s> China Announces New Tariffs On U.S. Goods

China on Friday announced a new round of tariffs on $75 billion worth of American good. NPR's Emily Feng tells Morning Edition that U.S. cars will be subject to the new levies. </s> WASHINGTON, Aug 23 — The United States today imposed steep import tariffs on another US$16 billion (RM65.62 billion) in Chinese goods in the dispute over what US officials say is the rampant theft of American technology.

That completes the first round of US$50 billion in products that President Donald Trump targeted, after US$34 billion in goods were hit with punitive duties on July 6.

China has said it will react immediately with tariffs on the same amount of US goods, targeting iconic products like Harley Davidson motorcycles, bourbon and orange juice, among hundreds of others. — AFP </s> China Announces New Tariffs On U.S. Goods

China on Friday announced a new round of tariffs on $75 billion worth of American good. NPR's Emily Feng tells Morning Edition that U.S. cars will be subject to the new levies.

China is firing back in the trade war with the United States. It announced new tariffs this morning on U.S. products and opened a new front in the dispute, the U.S. auto industry. Now, this is all happening as the U.S. has levied tariffs on China in an attempt to get it to lower its trade surplus with the United States. NPR's Emily Feng is on the line from Beijing.

KING: So tell us about what these new Chinese tariffs cover.

FENG: Well, the tariffs are in two rounds, and in total, they cover $75 billion of U.S. goods in more than 5,000 product categories. They include everything from consumer products to, notably, American cars and car components. The first round of tariffs go into effect September 1, the second December 15. And then on December 15, there will be additional tariffs of 5% to 25% on American cars and car components.

These car tariffs had been suspended in December and then again in April back when relations between the two countries and trade negotiations had been going better. So this announcement that American-made cars and car components are going to be taxed again is a restart of tariffs that had been previously suspended.

The reason why there are these two rounds is that these dates - September 1 and December 15 - match perfectly the schedule for new American tariffs that are going to be imposed on about $300 billion of Chinese goods...

KING: Making my next question to you, Emily, kind of redundant, but has China explicitly said why it's doing this? Have they said this is in response to what the U.S. is up to?

FENG: There are very conflicting narratives. According to China's narrative, the U.S. broke its promises. President Trump and President Xi Jinping had met at the G-20 summit in July in Osaka, Japan, and they had patched things up on the trade front and agreed that they would not announce new tariffs if China made new purchases of U.S. agricultural products. And those agreements were reiterated in July.

But then, nothing happened. China never made a move to buy more agricultural products. And so a week after Shanghai trade talks in July, President Trump said he was going to impose new tariffs. And China has responded. So according to the Chinese, the U.S. broke promises. If you ask the U.S., they say China broke its promises first. They never bought agricultural products.

KING: The U.S. trade negotiators and China's trade negotiators are supposed to meet soon for another round of trade talks. What do these new tariffs mean for those negotiations?

FENG: It means that they're currently deadlocked. The U.S. wants Beijing to buy more U.S. goods and also to get rid of state subsidies to tech sectors in China. Beijing wants the U.S. to get rid of all of its tariffs. Keep in mind the two countries have just announced new tariffs on one another, and China is not buying any more U.S. goods. So all this is not looking great for trade talks that are supposed to be scheduled for September.

Before that face-to-face meeting happens, there is supposed to be a phone call that's scheduled between the top negotiators from both countries. That has not yet happened. And so there is a possibility that trade talks do not happen in September.

KING: And, Emily, just one last thing. We know - we have learned throughout this trade war that a tariff is a tax that is often, in the end, paid by consumers. So to some extent, I would imagine that Chinese consumers will be preparing to pay more for American goods. Is that right?

FENG: They are, but China has prepared its citizens well. Over the last year, state media has put out a lot of content saying that China needs to fight this trade war, that China is capable of being independent. And I think that China is - China has always said that its economy under a centralized leadership is better at lasting - at - is better at withstanding the economic pressures of a trade war.

KING: NPR's Emily Feng in Beijing. Emily, thanks so much. </s> BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it will adjust tariffs on a revised target list of $60 billion worth of U.S. imports, with additional rates of 20% to 25% in retaliation for a U.S. tariff hike on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

A total of 5,140 U.S. products will be subject to various tariff rates starting June 1, the finance ministry said in a statement.

An additional tariff of 25% will be levied against 2,493 goods including liquefied natural gas, the ministry said, and an additional tariff of 20% will be imposed on 1,078 products.

Beijing previously set additional rates of 5% and 10% on 5,207 U.S. products worth $60 billion in September, and warned at the time that it would counter any higher tariffs imposed by Washington on Chinese products.

“China’s adjustment on additional tariffs is a response to U.S. unilateralism and protectionism,” the ministry said. “China hopes the U.S. will get back to the right track of bilateral trade and economic consultations and meet with China halfway.”

The United States on Friday activated a new 25% duty on more than 5,700 categories of products from China, even as top Chinese and U.S. negotiators resumed trade talks in Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the new tariffs, saying China “broke the deal” by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations. </s> A Chinese worker checks aluminium tapes at an aluminium production plant in Huaibei, east China's Anhui province in May 2017.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is moving forward with a 25 percent tariff on $16 billion in Chinese goods, further escalating a trade war with Beijing.

The new tariffs will take effect on Aug. 23 and will impact 279 product lines, down from the original 284 that were proposed on June 15, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said. Products to be impacted include electronics, plastics and railway freight cars.

The tariffs are the second round of duties that the U.S. has imposed on Chinese goods in a dispute over technology. An initial round of tariffs was placed on $34 billion of Chinese products on July 6.

More tariffs could be coming soon

President Donald Trump earlier proposed 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports. Last week, he instructed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to consider more than doubling those duties to 25 percent. Those tariffs could be levied in September, following a public comment period.

The latest round of tariffs comes during a breakdown of trade talks between the Trump administration and Beijing and amid a growing trade dispute that has rattled global markets.

In July, Beijing announced that it would slap an extra 25 percent duty on 545 products from the United States including soybeans, electric cars, orange juice, whiskey, salmon and cigars, in retaliation for Trump’s initial round of tariffs.

Last week, China’s Ministry of Finance it would place tariffs on an additional $60 billion of U.S. goods, including coffee, honey and industrial chemicals, if Trump goes through with the threat to place duties on an additional $200 billion in Chinese products.

The ministry accused the Trump administration of damaging the global economy.

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American tariffs of 25% on approximately $16 billion worth of Chinese goods come into effect. China immediately responds with equivalent tariffs of its own.