US plans tariff hike over China's alleged trade backtracking
May 7, 2019
The United States will more than double tariffs on some $200 billion (€179 billion) worth of Chinese goods on Friday because China backtracked on commitments it made in recent trade talks, top US officials said Monday.
The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump's surprise announcement that the US would hike its tariffs amid talks between the world's two biggest economies on ending their trade war.
What you need to know:
- US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said there had been "an erosion in commitments by China" in trade talks during the past week.
- The US was not breaking off talks with China, he said.
- US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the US negotiating team unanimously recommended the tariff hike after it got "new information" over the weekend. He did not elaborate.
What's the target? The tariff rate on a wide-ranging list of products, including baseball gloves, vacuum cleaners and burglar alarms, will increase from 10% to 25% at midnight on Friday.
Talks to continue: A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said before the announcement that a trade delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He would attend further trade talks with the US on Thursday and Friday.
amp/aw (Reuters, AFP, AP)
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