In two executive orders, Mr. Trump called for tighter enforcement of tariffs imposed in anti-dumping<br />and anti-subsidy trade cases, as well as a comprehensive review of the United States trade deficits — measures that reflect America’s economic tensions with China.<br />The tax would amount to a single action by the United States and would apply equally to trade with all foreign countries — not just China.<br />Each year, the United States buys $4 worth of Chinese goods for each $1 worth of American goods that China buys.<br />During his presidential campaign, Mr. Trump criticized China for unfair trade practices, accusing<br />it of draining millions of jobs from the United States through a huge imbalance.<br />What really could make a difference for the trade deficit would be if the United States imposed a so-called border-adjusted tax.<br />Import taxes plus value added taxes — a kind of sales tax — total 27 percent in China and roughly 25 percent in Western Europe.
