US to change China's tariffs on US automobiles

WASHINGTON – Three days before a US-China summit, the chief US trade official condemns Beijing for imposing "blatant" taxes on US-made cars.

In a statement Wednesday, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer complained that China applies 40% tariffs on US auto imports – more than the 15% it imposes on other countries and the US tax 27.5% on Chinese car imports.

Lighthizer said the president had ordered him "to examine all available tools to equalize the tariffs applied to automobiles".

The statement comes before a dinner-meeting Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Both leaders should seek a solution to the trade dispute that has rocked the financial markets and threatened the global economy.

The United States imposed import taxes on Chinese goods worth $ 250 billion and China counterattacked by targeting $ 110 billion in imports into the United States. They are grappling with a dispute over what Washington calls China's predatory tactics to defy the dominance of American technology.

The United States alleges that it includes hacking the computer networks of US companies to steal trade secrets and demanding that US and foreign companies sell the technology in exchange for the use of computers. access to the Chinese market.

Elsewhere, Trump hinted on Wednesday that he was considering imposing tariffs on auto imports, a day after threatening to drastically reduce federal subsidies to General Motors. The president is unhappy with GM 's announcement on Monday of the closure of factories and the removal of 14,000 jobs in North America.

Higher auto tariffs on China would have limited impact. Last year, the Chinese shipped to the United States for just $ 884 million worth of cars and light trucks, less than 1% of total auto imports. The brand manufactures the Buick Envision in China, but this year less than 25,000 of them have been shipped to the United States.

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AP's screenwriter, Tom Krisher in Detroit, has contributed to this story.

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