[ad_1]
By Rafael Salido (EFE)
New tariffs of 10% on products imported from China, worth $ 200 billion announced by The President's Government The United States, Donald Trump, is threatening to further intensify a trade war that has set off all the alarms in the American agricultural sector.
Washington and Beijing have been stranded in recent days in a tariff spiral with which Trump is trying to bring down China's trade barriers with a tariff rift, while his counterpart Xi Jinping punishes the political base of his opponent with taxes on the agricultural sector.
The economic conflict raises concerns, particularly in the traditionally American agricultural states, which historically are the mainstay of Republican votes.
"I am very, very concerned with the question, if (Trump) goes beyond the line it will be catastrophic; In fact, in my state, for soybeans and corn, it is catastrophic Said Republican Senator Chuck Grbadley in an interview with CNN
Trump, who is currently in Brussels attending the Chiefs Summit of the State and Government of NATO, used social networks to convey a message of tranquility to the agrarian sector
"I am in Brussels, but I am still thinking of our farmers. The (sale of) soybeans fell by 50% between 2012 and my choice. Farmers had a bad time for 15 years "Trump defended, without citing sources, in a message posted on his personal Twitter account, which concluded with a clear promise:" And we let's win! "
Xi Jinping's response to the first tariff package of the White House, which came into effect last Friday and directly targeted the Chinese industrial sector, was the imposition of levies of 25% on 545 US products. of dollars, most agricultural.
This tariff response, which includes soybeans, one of the most consumed products in Asia, affects regions like Iowa or Kentucky ] State that represents the Republican leader in the Upper House, Mitch McConnell.
In fact, Grbadley has pointed out, at least three times, in the last three months, several Senators of states farmers, expressed their concern to the president
A recent study by the Citigroup group, which echoed the CNBC channel last week, said that 80% of states considered conservative will be affected by tariffs against only 10% of Democrats.
For this reason, are involved about 3.9 million jobs in areas that in 2016 voted overwhelmingly for Trump
The electoral badet is the key being given that in November legislative elections will be held, in which control of both Houses of the US Congress will be at stake, in which the Republican Party has majorities in these
It is a problem to which Xi n & nbsp; Not to face: last October, at the nineteenth Congress of the Communist Party, its leadership position was strengthened, not only indisputable but also unwavering. nest of the Asian giant
Trump maintains as one of his main arguments to justify his protectionist policy the need to defend the local worker even though the current unemployment rate in the country is barely 4%
For this reason, a loss of jobs in the agricultural sector due to the trade war with China would put the Republican Party in a delicate situation.
Following the announcement by the US administration on Tuesday. new tariffs, is now unknown what will be Beijing's reaction, which has already advanced that it will adopt countermeasures that it has not specified.
Source link
