Shipping containers at Pier J at the Port of Long Beach wait for processing in Long Beach, California, US, April 4, 2018.WASHINGTON — Some of the steep US tariff increases on an array of Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and their batteries, computer chips and medical products, will take effect on Aug 1, the US Trade Representative's office said on Wednesday .
The United States in 2023 imported nearly US$640 million of gloves, masks and syringes from China that will be affected by the new measures. Washington is investing hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy tax subsidies to develop US EV, solar and other new industries, and has said China's state-driven excess production capacity in these sectors threatens the viability of US companies. The tariffs are meant to protect American jobs from a feared flood of cheap Chinese imports.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association said it was evaluating the list of specific products subject to new tariffs and added that "retailers are growing increasingly anxious about the current product exclusions that are set to expire at the end of the month." The Chinese Embassy in Washington said China's government will "take all measures necessary to defend our rights and interests." It said the tariff hike "will not only disrupt normal economic and trade co-operation between China and the US, but also significantly drive up the cost of imported goods, inflict more loss on American companies and consumers, and make the US consumers pay even more.