The White House on Tuesday said it was weighing imposing tariffs on a further $200 billion in Chinese products, a move that could expose $250 billion of Chinese goods to U.S. import taxes. President Donald Trump has said he is ready to assess tariffs on yet another $200 billion in merchandise—or nearly all the $505 billion in exports China sends to the U.S.
As The Wall Street Journal reports, while some businesses have supported the tariffs, many have said they would hurt their profits or lead to higher prices for customers. The Trump administration sees the latest round of tariffs as necessary to protect vital U.S. industries from Chinese competitors who it says are sheltered by Beijing’s protectionist policies.
The latest tariffs would put duties on dozens of varieties of seafood, including tilapia, salmon, cod and tuna. Some lawmakers and seafood groups had also sought the inclusion of Chinese crawfish, shrimp and other seafood on a list of products targeted for tariffs, saying Chinese companies have for years dumped substandard products onto the U.S. market to the detriment of local industries and U.S. consumers.
U.S. chemicals makers argue the proposed tariffs could make raw materials more expensive while threatening access to a key export market. The U.S. outlined potential tariffs on a wide swath of Chinese-made products, from pesticides to photographic developer. Those tariffs will increase costs for U.S. firms, some of them in Louisiana, that rely on Chinese chemicals imports to create more complex products in the U.S., said Ed Brzytwa, international trade director for the American Chemistry Council.
The tariffs target a broad swath of furniture items, too, from swivel chairs to bamboo seats to convertible beds. The American Home Furnishings Alliance, which represents furniture manufacturers, estimates the products on the list could affect more than 500 parts or finished products sold by its members.
Online retailer Wayfair Inc. said it expected all furniture retailers to be equally affected by the proposed tariffs “given the similar level of imports received from China for all companies.” It said the tariffs “would likely result in consumers paying higher prices across the board.”
