United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was considering imposing a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, which could come into force as soon as February 1.It was Trump’s latest trade threat against China, the world’s second-largest economy after the US, and Washington’s biggest geopolitical rival. During the campaign that ultimately led to his re-election, Trump threatened to impose up to 60 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, intensifying an ongoing trade war.
Yet, if the intent of the proposed tariffs was to hurt Chinese exports, in a bid to push for US interests in their trade relationship, Trump’s threats — so far at least — appear to have had the opposite effect.
China’s overall exports, including to the US, have grown in recent months.
So why is Trump threatening China with tariffs, how are Chinese exports still increasing, and what is next in their trade tussle?
Why is Trump threatening China with increased tariffs?
On Tuesday, Trump argued that China was behind the supply of fentanyl to US neighbours, which he said was in turn responsible for a deadly addiction crisis in the country. Advertisement
A day earlier, he said he was considering imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, alleging the countries were allowing “vast numbers of people” and fentanyl into the US. He also announced the creation of an “external revenue service” that would “collect our tariff …
