US-China Trade War Escalates As Trump Raises Tariffs On Chinese Goods By 5%
In retaliation to China's move, US President Donald Trump increased tariffs on the $250 billion Chinese goods from 25 percent to 30 percent (starting 1 October) and those on the remaining goods worth $300 billion to 15 percent from the earlier 10 percent (starting 1 September).
In a series of tweets, Trump also accused China and "many other countries" of having been taking advantage of the US in trade.
....Sadly, past Administrations have allowed China to get so far ahead of Fair and Balanced Trade that it has become a great burden to the American Taxpayer. As President, I can no longer allow this to happen! In the spirit of achieving Fair Trade, we must Balance this very....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2019
...Additionally, the remaining 300 BILLION DOLLARS of goods and products from China, that was being taxed from September 1st at 10%, will now be taxed at 15%. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2019
The Office of the US Trade Representative in a statement on Friday (Washington time) called Beijing's planned tariffs on Amercian goods as "unjustified." It also said it would publish "as soon as possible any additional details" in the Federal Register on the new duties Trump announced in his tweets.
Further, in an earlier tweet, Trump "ordered" the US manufacturers to find alternatives to China for their operations. "Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing..your companies HOME and making your products in the USA," he said.
The tweet led to a fall in American stock indices. The Nasdaq Composite closed 3 percent lower to end at 7,751.77, Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 623.34 points or 2.4 percent at 25,628.90, while the S&P 500 index fell 2.6 percent at close at 2,847.11. Stocks of companies with major operations in China, like Apple Inc, saw their prices fall.
With the intensifying US-China trade war, that has been going on with no hopes of a resolution for over a year, the outlook for the global economy remains dim.