In an escalatory measure, US President Donald Trump has instructed officials to consider a further $100bn of tariffs against China, in light of what he called China’s “unfair retaliation” against earlier US trade actions.
China commented on Trump's announcement saying it was fully prepared to respond.
To safeguard American jobs, Trump announced in January that he would take series of protectionary measures which include imposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, as well as on imports of washing machines and solar energy cells and panels saying they were risking national security.
Washington announced it was imposing some $50bn worth of tariffs on Chinese-made goods, blaming the second largest economy in the world of unfair intellectual property practices.
China responded by proposing retaliatory tariffs, also worth some $50bn, on 106 key US products, including soybeans, BBC reported.
In light of China's unfair retaliation, I have instructed the USTR (United States Trade Representative) to consider whether $100bn of additional tariffs would be appropriate... and, if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs."
He said he had also instructed agricultural officials to implement a plan to protect US farmers and agricultural interests.
China has initiated a complaint with the World Trade Organization over the US tariffs, in what analysts say is a sign that this will be a protracted process.
