US tariffs come into effect and activate the trade war with China

WASHINGTON.- Threats and bravado came into action. From this dawn, tariffs began to apply to hundreds of Chinese exports to


US
which will automatically trigger the reprisals of the


Beijing
on US goods, the first battle of a war whose collateral damage will be felt around the world.

US tariffs on a list of 818 Chinese products came into effect at midnight, subject to a tariff of 25% for a total value of $ 34,000 million. The complete list is 1100 products, but the rest is under evaluation before being included in the list.

Far from turning the other cheek, the Chinese government responded with the same currency and added a 34 billion dollar account to a list of 545 products with the label
Made in the United States including agricultural products and vehicles.

"We will not fire the first blow," warned Beijing, but its customs agency said in a statement that the taxes would come into effect immediately After Washington began to govern

"The United States has provoked a trade war, American measures essentially attack the production process and the overall value. " In simple terms, the United States opens fire on the whole world. against itself, "said the spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Gao Feng. "China is obliged to defend against the coup d'etat," he added on the tariff bomb, whose fuse caught fire


Donald Trump
for the alleged abuses that the United States suffers for a trade at its disadvantage.

"Of course, we do not want a trade war, but if the legitimate interests of a country are damaged, then of course that country has the right to firmly protect their own interests," the spokesman said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang.

Trump threatens to escalate the dispute with additional tariffs of 10% for other Chinese products worth $ 200 billion if Beijing retaliates. For now it is unclear whether the US President will materialize his threats or whether his intention only wants to strengthen his position to continue to negotiate. But the vicious circle has already begun to shake the financial markets, including stocks, currencies and commodities trade, from soya beans to coal.

Tensions between China and the United States trade up to the US military presence in the South China Sea. Trump denounces, for example, the supposed theft of technology that the Chinese would commit to overthrow the technological supremacy of the United States. Most of the 818 sanctioned products come from the industrial and technological sectors.

Economists warn that a trade war would hurt the US economy and that many businesses could have a very bad time. It is estimated that US rural producers, the same ones who overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2016 election, will carry the weight.

The Chinese government warned that Washington's tariff shock on its products would not only hurt both countries. , but for many other players, since 20,000 of the $ 34,000 million customs barrier recently opened by the Trump order are foreign companies.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has pointed out that the tariff barriers imposed by the two major trading powers could undermine the global economic recovery, and its effects are beginning to be evident.

European companies, for example, nervously follow this duel between Washington and Beijing, considered the biggest threat to the economic recovery with which they left the financial crisis behind.

Europe has its own fight with Tru Mp, who is leading a crusade against his country's huge trade deficit on several fronts. The Republican president is threatening new rates for vehicle imports, among others. The European Union (EU), for its part, has launched in response a dagger against iconic brands, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Levi's jeans. Harley announced that he would stop producing in the United States so as not to lose the European market.

The United States is also heading for a confrontation with Canada and Mexico. Not only has he imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum on his two closest partners, but he is also encouraging the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. (NAFTA).

DPA Agencies, ANSA and Reuters