Tariff Battle: Where the U.S. and Chinese Moves May Lead<br />Beijing said that it would impose a 15 percent tariff on goods like fresh fruit, nuts, wine and seamless steel pipes, and<br />that it was considering a second round of levies, of 25 percent, on other goods, including aluminum.<br />The Chinese government announced Friday that it planned to impose tariffs on just $3 billion in American<br />products, including fruit, pork, wine, seamless steel pipes and more than 100 other goods.<br />By NATALIE KITROEFFMARCH 23, 2018<br />President Trump pushed forward with a two-pronged trade offensive this week, enacting tariffs on imported aluminum<br />and steel on Friday, a day after announcing levies on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods.<br />A good bet, trade experts say, is that Mr. Trump is using the tariffs as a bargaining chip to corral allies into adopting a harder line on China.<br />While the tariffs are explicitly based on national security — the White House argues<br />that the nation is vulnerable because it relies too much on foreign steel and aluminum — there are obvious economic reasons for trying to increase domestic production.<br />For now, the administration has given exemptions from the first set of tariffs to multiple nations, making it clear<br />that the main point is to curb the influx of cheap Chinese metals.<br />That’s why the administration initially announced that its steel and aluminum tariffs would apply worldwide.<br />And the Chinese retaliation for the aluminum and steel tariffs, at least initially, is even milder.
