Donald Trump threatens to expand trade war to all Chinese imports as US moves ahead with further tariffs
‘Now we’ve added another US$200 billion,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that ‘there’s another US$267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want’
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration intends to go ahead with tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, the most dramatic escalation of the trade war between the two countries since tit-for-tat punitive duties began in July.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Fargo, North Dakota, for a Republican fundraiser, Trump also breathed new life into threats he previously made to impose tariffs on the entirety of Chinese imports, which were worth over US$500 billion last year.
“Now we’ve added another US$200 billion,” Trump said during remarks that were initially off the record but which he later told reporters they could publish. “And I hate to say that, but behind that, there’s another US$267 billion ready to go on short notice if I want. That totally changes the equation.”
Watch: The origins and impact of the US-China trade war
Trump did not indicate whether the office of the US trade representative (USTR) had reached a decision regarding the rate of taxation of the latest round of tariffs, originally proposed at 10 per cent.
