Trump is still gunning for a trade war — but Beijing is ready to fight back
Reports say the list of goods for the $50bn worth of tariffs has been approved — China has pledged any tariffs will void any progress made in recent trade talks
Washington — On Friday, US President Donald Trump was due to unveil a final list of Chinese imports that would face punishing tariffs, fanning fears of a trade war as Beijing warned that it could swiftly strike back. The threat of massive duties on billions of dollars of goods sent Shanghai stocks to their lowest level since September 2016, though it remained uncertain whether Trump would hold fire as part of a negotiating strategy. The deadline to release the list comes as Washington faces a dizzying array of parallel diplomatic horse trading, as Trump is increasingly dependent on Beijing to help advance efforts at North Korean denuclearisation, while also using aggressive trade tactics on all major US economic partners. The president’s trade team, including senior officials from the Commerce and Treasury departments, were due to gather Thursday at the White House to finalise the list of Chinese goods on the hit list.
Tit-for-tat tariffs A report in the Wall Street Journal qu...
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