President Trump escalated his trade war with China on Friday morning,
raising tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and taking steps
to tax nearly all of China’s imports as punishment for what he said was
Beijing’s attempt to “renegotiate” a trade deal.
Mr. Trump’s decision to proceed with the tariff increase came after a
pivotal round of trade talks in Washington on Thursday night failed to
produce an agreement to forestall the higher levies. The White House
said talks would resume again on Friday but it remains uncertain whether
the two sides can bridge the differences that have arisen over the past
week.
In his comments at the White House on
Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump vacillated between threatening China and
suggesting a deal could still happen. The president said he had received
a “beautiful letter” from President Xi Jinping of China and would
probably speak to him by phone, but said he was more than happy to keep
hitting Beijing with tariffs.
Read more at: Trump Increases China Tariffs as Trade Deal Hangs in the Balance - The New York Times
