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U.S. NEWS Friday 6 april 2018

Trump proposes $100B in new tariffs on Chinese goods

Continued from Front policies, and practices
identified in USTR’s report.”
The latest escalation comes The clash reflects the ten-
after the U.S. on Tuesday sion between Trump’s
said it would impose 25 per- promises to narrow a U.S.
cent duties on $50 billion of trade deficit with China
imports from China, and that stood at $375.2 bil-
China quickly retaliated by lion in goods last year and
listing $50 billion of prod- China’s ruling Communist
ucts that it could hit with its Party’s development am-
own 25 percent tariffs. The bitions. Trump says Chi-
Chinese list Wednesday in- na’s trade practices have
cluded soybeans, the big- caused American factories
gest U.S. export to China, to close and lead to the
and aircraft up to 45 tons loss of American jobs.
(41 metric tons) in weight. Trump’s top economic ad-
Also on the list were Ameri- viser, Larry Kudlow, said
can beef, whiskey, passen- earlier Thursday in an in-
ger vehicles and industrial terview with Fox Business
chemicals. Network that negotiations
Earlier in the week, Beijing were ongoing. But, he said,
announced separate im- “at the end of the day, Chi-
port duties on $3 billion of na’s unfair and illegal trad-
U.S. goods in response to ing actions are damaging President Donald Trump talks with reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight to Andrews Air Force
the Trump administration’s to economic growth, for Base, Md., Thursday, April 5, 2018.
duties on all steel and alu- the U.S., for China and for Associated Press
minum imports, including the rest of the world.” absolutely take on Chinese stead of us.” ment process and would
from China. He also called Trump “the bad behavior, but with a Any additional tariffs would not go into effect until that
U.S. officials have sought to first guy with a backbone plan that punishes them in- be subject to a public com- process is complete.q
downplay the threat of a in decades ... to actually
broader trade dispute, say- go after it. Not just whisper
ing a negotiated outcome it, but to go after it with at Trump to visit Latin America
is still possible. But econo- least preliminary actions.”
One trade policy expert
mists warn that the tit-for- said he doubted that amid trade, immigration fights
tat moves bear the hall-
marks of a classic trade rift Trump’s rhetoric would help
that could escalate. And forge any deal with China. By ZEKE MILLER and KEN The trip will bring the presi- Administration officials said
already, tensions between “Mr. Trump is upping the THOMAS dent face to face with the no news is expected at the
the world’s two biggest ante, but the lack of a Associated Press targets of some of his fierc- summit on the renegotia-
economies have rattled clear game plan and an in- WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- est ire and follows his an- tion of the North American
global stock markets. coherent messaging strate- dent Donald Trump is hop- nouncement that he will Free Trade Agreement or
U.S. Trade Representative gy from the administration ing to counter Chinese ef- direct the deployment of any on new sanctions on
Robert Lighthizer called is setting this up for an all- forts to bolster its economic National Guard troops to the Venezuelan govern-
China’s move “unjustified” out trade war rather than influence in the Americas the U.S.-Mexico border. ment.
and said Trump’s proposal a fruitful negotiation,” said during his inaugural trip to The deployment has Trump will hold meetings
was an “appropriate re- Eswar Prasad, professor of Latin America next week sparked widespread out- with several regional part-
sponse to China’s recent trade policy at Cornell Uni- amid an escalating trade rage in Mexico, which had ners, though the final ros-
threat of new tariffs.” versity. fight and his harsh rhetoric already been enraged by ter was still being finalized.
“Such measures would un- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., on immigration. Trump’s pledge to con- Trump will meet with Co-
doubtedly cause further a frequent Trump critic, The White House said Thurs- struct a border wall. lombian President Juan
harm to American workers, called the escalation “the day that Trump is set to Trump is also set to face Manuel Santos in Bogota.
farmers, and businesses,” dumbest possible way” to attend the Summit of the scrutiny over his recently Trump is not expected to
he said in a statement. “Un- punish China. Americas in Lima, Peru, and announced tariffs on steel hold a meeting with Cuban
der these circumstances, “Hopefully the President will travel to Bogota, Co- and aluminum — though leader Raul Castro, who will
the President is right to ask is just blowing off steam lombia, to promote good exporters to the U.S. who be attending the summit in
for additional appropriate again but, if he’s even half- governance and democ- will be in attendance have one of his final acts before
action to obtain the elimi- serious, this is nuts,” Sasse racy in the Western Hemi- been granted temporary stepping down from office
nation of the unfair acts, said in a statement. “Let’s sphere. waivers. later this month.q