Trade Conflict: US wants to impose punitive tariffs on additional goods from China

US President Donald Trump has already threatened the Chinese government with new punitive tariffs, and now he is letting the acts follow. The United States has proposed a new list of Chinese goods with a value of 200 billions of dollars for possible punitive tariffs around 170 billion euros. Imports would be subject to additional taxes of 10%, said Tuesday the US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer.

Sanctions could come into effect in September, said a US government official. The Lighthizer office therefore wants to discuss the products concerned. It will take about two months to complete the list. Then Trump will decide whether to impose tariffs

Potential new US tariffs would affect not only food but also chemicals, textiles, metals, electronics and other goods. from China (see the full list here). Lighthizer said the reason for these new possible tariffs was Chinese retaliation and the Beijing government's refusal to change their practice.

It was only last Friday that the United States imposed punitive duties of 25% on goods from China. $ 34 billion has been introduced. The tariffs cover 818 products, including cars, aircraft parts and hard drives. Trump justifies his punitive tariff policy by the huge trade deficit of his country vis-à-vis China.

China announced "necessary countermeasures" soon after the entry into force of customs duties last Friday and imposed countervailing duties. The United States has launched "the biggest trade war of economic history," said the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing. Trump, in turn, threatened Chinese leaders to impose trade restrictions on Chinese goods up to $ 200 billion in case of retaliation rights.

China's ambbadador to the European Union, Zhang Ming, was recently in favor of a policy of rigorous advocacy in the trade dispute with the United States. "We must demonstrate resolutely at the root of the trade war that his actions are bad," he said, cautioning against the dramatic consequences of a trade war for the global economy . "Nobody will benefit from this trade conflict, everyone will lose, China, the EU and also the cause of the conflict."