Trump’s actions and threats involving tariffs, at a glance

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has followed through on his campaign pledge to crack down on what he has argued are unfair policies by America’s trading partners.

In the past four months, Trump has slapped tariffs on a range of imports to the United States. And he is threatening to impose more, raising the risk of the most damaging trade conflict since World War II.

Here’s a summary of the president’s actions and threats involving tariffs:

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Trump on Jan. 23 imposed taxes on imported solar panels and washing machines. The administration charged that U.S. solar cell manufacturers were being crushed by an influx of cheap solar cells and modules from China, which went from producing 7 per cent of the world’s solar cells in 2005 to nearly 70 per cent last year.

The washing-machine case dates back to a 2011 complaint by Whirlpool. It charged that two South Korean competitors — LG and Samsung — were dumping low-priced machines on the U.S. market. To avoid duties imposed by the Commerce Department, the administration says, those companies shifted production, first to China and then to Thailand and Vietnam.

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The United States on March 23 began imposing tariffs of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminum, arguing that a reliance on foreign metals threatened U.S. national security. The U.S. exempted several major trading partners, including the European Union, Mexico and Canada. But China, which was left on the target list, retaliated by imposing tariffs on $3 billion in U.S. products, including apples, pork and ginseng.

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Trump on April 3 proposed 25 per cent tariffs on 1,300 Chinese products worth $50 billion a year in imports. He said he did so to protest Beijing’s policies requiring foreign companies to hand over their technology in return for access to the Chinese market.

The tariffs are part of a broader campaign to counter China’s drive to supplant U.S. technological supremacy. China counterpunched by proposing tariffs on $50 billion in U.S. products. These products include small aircraft and soybeans — a direct threat to rural areas that supported Trump in the 2016 election. Trump next asked his trade representative to look for up to $100 billion more in Chinese products to potentially target.