Responding to U.S. tariffs, China has imposed a 25 percent tariff on U.S. soybeans since July last year. The tariff has remained in place as leverage in the trade war – a proxy for whether China perceives progress is being made or not in the negotiations.
As negotiations continue toward a trade agreement, President Trump and President Xi of China have imposed tariffs on each country’s products in an unprecedented trade war. If you’ve lost track of how we got here, here is a handy quick guide to recent events unfolding in the ongoing U.S.-China trade war.
As the U.S.-China trade war rages, two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) is plummeting. So far this year, combined two-way U.S. and Chinese FDI totals just $9.9 billion – its lowest six-month value in five years. At the same time, venture capital investment is becoming an increasingly bigger piece of the U.S.-China investment puzzle.
U.S. businesses are preparing for another possible wave of tariffs while seeking product exclusions from existing tariffs on goods from China. Find out how the Trump administration is responding to these product exclusion requests, and keep track of the “tranches” or waves of tariffs announced or implemented by the administration using our graphic.
China is stockpiling its rare earths production. Does China think the United States is trying to contain China’s economic expansion? Threatening to withhold rare earths exports could be China’s way of digging into this trade war with the United States.
There are rough waters ahead for shippers dealing with the tariff uncertainties. The prospect of tariff hikes is incentivizing companies to lock in better shipping prices now. But many retailers are competing just to find space for their goods on an ocean carrier, and the shipment surge has resulted in massive congestion at ports and warehouses.
In September last year, the Trump Administration finalized a list of $200 billion in imported goods subject to tariffs. The list included rubberized textile fabrics, affecting water resistant clothing. Find out how apparel and footwear companies are weathering the storm of tariffs on imports from China.
There are some in the United States who are frustrated with the administration’s willingness to toss out the traditional trade policy playbook, but if trade talks over soybeans and intellectual property protections can be leveraged to address illicit trade in deadly fentanyl, we can all get on board with that.
Discussions are now underway as to whether EU antitrust policies need to be relaxed in order to allow greater latitude to meet the challenge posed by Chinese mega-firms.
China went from a net importer of critical intermediary goods such as glass, paper, steel, and auto parts, to becoming the leading producer and dominant global exporter of these products. How could this seismic shift occur in industries where China does not maintain a particular advantage in labor, technology, or natural resources? The answer in large part is subsidization of Chinese production in the form of state-directed capital flows.