The new tariffs by President Trump represent a dramatic potential escalation in a looming trade war with China.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is weighing an additional $100 billion in tariffs on China, raising the stakes in a potential trade war his top aides have tried to downplay.
The president ordered the U. S. Trade Representative (USTR) to explore the new trade penalties, beyond the $50 billion in U. S. tariffs on Chinese imports the White House announced Tuesday. China earlier this week announced $50 billion in tariffs on American goods.
“Rather than remedy its misconduct, China has chosen to harm our farmers and manufacturers. In light of China’s unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR to consider whether $100 billion of additional tariffs would be appropriate… and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs,” the president said in a statement released Thursday evening.
“I have also instructed the Secretary of Agriculture, with the support of other members of my Cabinet, to use his broad authority to implement a plan to protect our farmers and agricultural interests.”
In Beijing, the Commerce Ministry said China doesn’t want a trade war — but isn’t afraid to fight one.
“China will dedicate itself to the end and at any cost and will definitely fight back firmly” if the U. S. persists in its “protectionism,” the ministry said in a statement.
Larry Kudlow, the new director of Trump’s National Economic Council, said on Wednesday that “it’s possible” Trump’s proposed tariffs against China could just be a negotiating tactic.
“It’s part of the process,” Kudlow told reporters, though he cautioned, “I would take the president seriously on this tariff issue.”
Earlier Thursday, at a roundtable on tax reforms in West Virginia, Trump had touched upon the subject, calling China’s President Xi Jinping “a friend of mine, and I’m a friend of his.
