The United States began collecting higher, 25 per cent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in US seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world's two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.

[WASHINGTON] The United States began collecting higher, 25 per cent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in US seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world's two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.

US President Donald Trump imposed the tariff increase on a US$200 billion list of Chinese goods on May 10, but had allowed a grace period for sea-borne cargoes that departed China before that date, keeping them at the prior, 10 per cent duty rate.

The US Trade Representative's office in a May 15 Federal Register notice set a June 1 deadline for those goods to arrive in the United States, after which US Customs and Border protection would begin collecting the 25 per cent duty rate at US ports.

The deadline expired at 12.01am EDT (12.01pm Singapore time) on Saturday.

The tariff increase affects a broad range of consumer goods, and intermediate components from China including internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, furniture, vacuum cleaners and lighting products.

Earlier on Saturday, China began collecting higher retaliatory tariffs on much of a US$60 billion target list of US goods. The tariffs, announced on May 13 and taking effect as of midnight in Beijing, apply additional 20 per cent or 25 per cent tariffs on more than half of the 5,140 US products targeted.

Beijing had previously imposed additional rates of 5 per cent or 10 per cent on the targeted goods.

No further trade talks between top Chinese and US negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended in a stalemate on May 10, the same day when Mr Trump announced higher tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods and then took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.

China ordered the latest tariff increases in response to Mr Trump's move.

Mr Trump has accused China of breaking a deal to settle their trade dispute by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.

Beijing has grown more strident in recent weeks, accusing Washington of lacking sincerity and vowing that it will not cave to the Trump administration's demands.

Its rhetoric has hardened particularly since Washington put Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co on a blacklist that effectively bans the firm from doing business with US companies. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States began collecting higher, 25% tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world’s two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.

Containers are seen at a port in Huaian, Jiangsu province, China May 5, 2019. Picture taken May 5, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed the tariff increase on a$200 billion list of Chinese goods on May 10, but had allowed a grace period for sea-borne cargoes that departed China before that date, keeping them at the prior, 10% duty rate.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office in a May 15 Federal Register notice set a June 1 deadline for those goods to arrive in the United States, after which U.S. Customs and Border protection would begin collecting the 25% duty rate at U.S. ports. The deadline expired at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday

The tariff increase affects a broad range of consumer goods, and intermediate components from China including internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, furniture, vacuum cleaners and lighting products.

Earlier on Saturday, China began collecting higher retaliatory tariffs on much of a $60 billion target list of U.S. goods. The tariffs, announced on May 13 and taking effect as of midnight in Beijing (1600 GMT), apply additional 20% or 25% tariffs on more than half of the 5,140 U.S. products targeted. Beijing had previously imposed additional rates of 5% or 10% on the targeted goods.

No further trade talks between top Chinese and U.S. negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended in a stalemate on May 10, the same day when Trump announced higher tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods and then took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.

China ordered the latest tariff increases in response to Trump’s move.

Related Coverage China to issue white paper on trade talks with U.S. on Sunday

Trump has accused China of breaking a deal to settle their trade dispute by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.

Beijing has grown more strident in recent weeks, accusing Washington of lacking sincerity and vowing that it will not cave to the Trump administration’s demands.

Its rhetoric has hardened particularly since Washington put Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a blacklist that effectively bans the firm from doing business with U.S. companies. </s> 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> WASHINGTON — By imposing tariffs on $200 billion more in Chinese goods starting next week, President Donald Trump has intensified his trade war with Beijing and triggered the likelihood of price increases for many American companies and consumers.

Beijing has said it will swiftly retaliate against American exporters — a move that stands to hurt U.S. farmers and other companies that sell their products to China. Beijing may also raise obstacles for U.S. companies to do business in China.

Here’s a look at what’s happening and its likely impact.

WHAT IS THE U.S. DOING?

The Trump administration will begin taxing $200 billion in Chinese goods starting Monday. The tariffs will start at 10 percent and rise to 25 percent in 2019.

The target list is huge, ranging from rattan mats to burglar alarms to bicycles. But the administration struck some items from the originally planned $200 billion tariff list, including bicycle helmets and other child safety products. And, in a victory for Apple Inc., smart watches and some other electronics products won’t be subject to the new tariffs, either.

The administration and Beijing have already imposed import taxes on $50 billion worth of each other’s products. Beijing’s target list of U.S. goods to penalize was heavy on agriculture.

That’s hardly a coincidence. Its tariffs are meant to deliver pain to American farmers, who overwhelmingly backed Trump in the 2016 election and whose interests are represented by powerful lobbyists and members of Congress. Exports to China account for about 60 percent of the overseas sales of American soybean farmers, who stand to lose sales as a result of China’s tariffs.

The Trump administration has accused China of using predatory tactics in a lawless drive to overtake America’s technological supremacy. U.S. officials point to Beijing’s long-range development plan, “Made in China 2025,” which calls for creating powerful Chinese entities in such areas as information technology, robotics, aerospace equipment, electric vehicles and biopharmaceuticals.

Foreign business groups argue that “Made in China 2025” is unfairly forcing them to the sidelines in those industries. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative concluded after an investigation that China’s tactics range from requiring U.S. and other foreign companies to hand over technology in return for access to the vast Chinese market to outright cyber-theft. The U.S. also asserts that Beijing uses state money to buy American technology at prices unaffordable for private companies.

The Trump administration said the new tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese imports was a response to Beijing’s failure so far to end those tactics.

WHAT’S THE LIKELY IMPACT FROM A U.S.-CHINA TRADE WAR?

It’s not entirely clear. Economists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch have warned that a full-fledged trade war, especially one that lasts more than a year, would slow the U.S. economy. By disrupting supply chains, eroding business confidence and heightening uncertainty, a trade war, they say, could “push the economy toward full-blown recession” and jeopardize America’s economic expansion — the second-longest on record.

Besides American soybean farmers, American manufacturers are also being squeezed. Machinery and components used in finished goods made in the United States have been affected. U.S. manufacturers are having to pay more for parts and equipment, thereby putting them at a competitive disadvantage to foreign rivals.

ISN’T THE U.S. ALSO SPARRING WITH OTHER TRADING PARTNERS?

Trump is battling in just about every direction. He has imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum — action that has drawn retaliatory tariffs from U.S. allies like Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The president is also threatening to impose tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts on the grounds that they pose a threat to America’s national security.

Trump also wants to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, which includes the United States, Mexico and Canada, with a new agreement that would shift more auto production to the U.S. The administration has already reached a deal with Mexico that excluded Canada. Talks to keep Canada in a North American trade bloc have been ongoing, with the two longtime allies divided over such issues as Canada’s dairy market and U.S. efforts to shield drug companies from generic competition.

By brawling with America’s friends, critics say, Trump has squandered an opportunity to build a united front against China. After all, Europe, Japan and other rich countries have the same complaints about Chinese trade practices that America does.

IS THERE ANY REASON TO EXPECT A RESOLUTION?

There have been periodic reports that the Trump administration was on the verge of resuming talks with Beijing. Informal communications are still going on, administration officials have said, but no formal talks are scheduled.

For a time, it looked as though peace might be at hand. In May, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the trade war “on hold.” The Trump administration suspended its tariffs after Beijing agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. goods, especially in agriculture and energy. The idea was that China’s additional purchases would shrink its trade surplus with the United States. Yet the cease-fire was short-lived. Critics dismissed Beijing’s commitments as vague, and Trump decided to proceed with the tariffs after all.

HAVE THERE BEEN TRADE WARS BEFORE?

You’d have to go back to the 1930s to find anything close to the hostility between the U.S. and its top trading partners right now. During the Great Depression, many countries, including the United States, closed their markets to imports. A plunge in global trade likely worsened the Depression.

Many less intense trade conflicts have followed. President Ronald Reagan slapped tariffs on $300 million worth of Japanese imports in a dispute over the semiconductor industry and strong-armed Tokyo into accepting limits on car shipments to the United States.

In 2002, President George W. Bush imposed tariffs on Chinese steel. The move allowed U.S. steel producers to increase prices, raising costs for companies that buy steel and pressuring them to cut back elsewhere. But the tariffs are thought to have cost significant U.S. job losses.

In 2009, the Obama administration imposed tariffs on Chinese tires, charging that a surge in imports was hurting the U.S. tire industry. Beijing counterpunched. It imposed a tax of up to 105 percent on U.S. chicken feet — a throwaway item in the U.S. that’s considered a delicacy in China. The Peterson Institute for International Economics calculated that the tariffs probably saved 1,200 American tire jobs. But consumers paid over $900,000 in higher tire prices for each job saved.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </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: South Carolina company blames tariffs on possible layoffs

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.

More: Trump says 'vicious' China targeting U.S. farmers on trade, urges critics to 'be cool' </s> SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China unveiled plans on Friday to impose tariffs on up to $3 billion of U.S. imports in retaliation against U.S. tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum products, as the world’s two largest economies stood on the brink of a trade war.

China was considering a 15 percent tariff on U.S. products including dried fruit, wine and steel pipes and a 25 percent tariff on pork products and recycled aluminum, the commerce ministry said in a statement on it website.

China has assembled a list of 128 U.S. products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry added.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday targeting up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts once a list is published.

Beijing’s disclosure of its planned retaliation to proposed tariffs on Chinese metal exports to the United States, served as a warning to Washington as both sides brandished their weapons while holding off from starting a full-blown trade war.

The commerce ministry said China would implement the measures in two stages: first the 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes and wine worth $977 million and later the higher 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and aluminum.

“We intend to impose tariffs on certain U.S. imports to balance out the losses caused to Chinese interests by the U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum,” the ministry said.

The ministry added it would take legal action under the framework of the World Trade Organization to maintain the stability of global trading rules. It added, however, it hoped it could resolve issues with the U.S. through dialogue. </s> WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump just imposed tariffs on hundreds of Chinese products — from X-ray tubes to incinerators. And Beijing is striking back by targeting U.S. soybeans, beef, seafood and other products.

The punch-and-counterpunch announced Friday in Washington and Beijing moved the world’s two largest economies perilously near a trade war that would inflate prices for consumers, disrupt the flow of goods and perhaps slow a global economy that has been enjoying its healthiest expansion in a decade.

“Everybody loses in a trade war,” says Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former White House economic adviser. “You get consumers who are worse off. You get producers who are worse off, farmers who are worse off and you don’t even achieve your goal.”

What’s more, the China tariffs come just as the United States is sparring with close allies like the European Union, Canada and Mexico in a separate conflict over trade in steel and aluminum.

WHAT DID TRUMP DO?

The White House on Friday announced plans to slap 25 percent tariffs on more than 1,100 Chinese products, worth $50 billion a year in imports. The administration had originally proposed the tariffs in April, starting with a list of 1,333 Chinese products lines. After receiving public feedback, it removed 515 from the blacklist and added 284 others.

Starting July 6, the U.S. will tax the 818 products, worth $34 billion a year in imports, that remained from the original list. It won’t target the 284 additions, worth $16 billion, until after it collects public feedback.

Beijing immediately said it would retaliate with penalties of the same scale on American goods — and it spelled out details to impose tariffs on 545 U.S. exports, including farm products, autos and seafood.

“The Chinese side doesn’t want to fight a trade war, but facing the shortsightedness of the U.S. side, China has to fight back strongly,” the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement. “We will immediately introduce the same scale and equal taxation measures, and all economic and trade achievements reached by the two sides will be invalidated.”

American soybean farmers, who send about 60 percent of their exports China, are especially worried about Beijing’s retaliation. Soybean prices were already falling before Friday’s announcement.

Prices will likely drop further should the tariffs be imposed,” says Bill Shipley, president of the Iowa Soybean Association. “This will further pressure agricultural families and businesses already struggling with below break-even commodity prices.”

HOW WILL CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES BE AFFECTED?

Tariffs are a tax. So they drive up the price of targeted imports. The reduced foreign competition means that domestic producers can raise their prices, too.

The Trump administration has sought to protect consumers from a direct impact from the tariffs. The tariffs target mainly Chinese industrial machinery, aerospace parts and communications technology; they spare such consumer goods as smartphones, toys and clothes that Americans purchase by the truckload from China. Televisions and pharmaceuticals were removed from the original tariff list.

Still, these tariffs will impose higher costs on U.S. companies that use the equipment. And over time, those costs could be passed on to consumers. The impact won’t be as visible as it would be if consumer products were taxed directly.

By contrast, the Trump administration earlier this year imposed steep tariffs on imported washing machines. By May, the cost of laundry equipment had jumped 17 percent from two months earlier, according to government data.

The United States accuses China of using predatory tactics in a breakneck effort to supplant American technological supremacy. Among these are outright cyber-theft. Beijing forces U.S. and other foreign companies to hand over technology as a price of admission to the vast Chinese market. And it uses Chinese government money to outbid private companies for U.S. technology at above-market prices.

U.S. officials say they fear that Beijing’s long-range development strategy, dubbed “Made in China 2025,” will hamper competition and hurt American competitors. It calls for creating Chinese global competitors in such areas as information technology, robotics, aerospace equipment, maritime engineering equipment, electric vehicles, biopharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Foreign business groups have complained for a decade that Beijing is squeezing them out of promising economic fields. They say “Made in China 2025” appears to leave them little or no place in those industries.

But it isn’t always clear whether the United States is seeking to curb China’s sharp-elbowed practices or to keep it from emerging as a legitimate rival.

HAVEN’T THE 2 NATIONS TRIED TO WORK THINGS OUT?

Yes. And for a time last month it looked as if they’d reached a truce. After a meeting in Washington, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declared the trade war “on hold” and the tariffs suspended. Mnuchin said so after China pledged to buy more from the U.S., especially energy and agricultural products and to shrink America’s gaping trade gap with China — $336 billion last year. But critics dismissed that agreement as vague. And Trump backed away and returned to the tariff threat.

Erin Ennis of the U.S.-China Business Council says she suspects Beijing will wait to see whether the United States actually puts the U.S. tariffs into effect July 6 before it starts taxing U.S. goods. That could buy time for last-ditch negotiations.

ISN’T THE U.S. TIED UP IN OTHER TRADE DISPUTES?

Oh, yes. Trump just enraged the EU, Canada and Mexico by imposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Worse, he argued that the imported metals posed a threat to U.S. national security — an insult to the longstanding American allies that they roundly rejected. He has also threatened to tax auto imports, also on national security grounds.

Critics say Trump’s decision to pick fights with America’s friends weakens his hand against China.

Trade analysts say it would be wiser for the United States to enlist its allies to challenge China’s drive to grab technology, rather than go it alone with unilateral tariffs. After all, companies from the advanced economies of the U.S., Europe and Japan share the same gripes.

China is adept at playing countries and companies off against one another, Jennifer Hillman, a Georgetown University law professor, testified last week before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Commission. If one complains, China can lock it out of the market and do business with a more compliant competitor. Better to present a united front.

AP Writers Christopher Rugaber in Washington, Alexandra Olson in New York and Joe McDonald in Beijing and video journalist Teresa Crawford in Chicago contributed to this report.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will begin collecting tariffs on another $16 billion in Chinese goods on Aug. 23, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Tuesday as it published a final tariff list targeting 279 import product lines.

USTR said that only five product lines were deleted from a list initially proposed on June 15, but semiconductors, among the largest categories, remained on the list.

The latest list brings to about $50 billion in goods that now face a 25 percent tariff that U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed on Chinese imports in an escalating trade war over China’s intellectual property practices and industrial subsidy policies. China has vowed to match Washington’s tariff moves with duties on an equivalent worth of U.S. products.
The United States begins collecting the higher, 25 percent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports.