The duty 10 % imposed by Donald Trump to all Chinese products They could affect key sectors of the economy of the Asian giant, where exports play a determining role in a context of slowing down the low domestic demand and real estate crisis.
China has promised reprisals and could respond to Taxes with new critical mineral export controls For the manufacture of chips, restrictions on access to its market, a devaluation of Yuan or imposing rates on products from the North American country, according to experts.
These are some keys on how they would affect Rates to China And how the world’s second economic power arrives at an intensification of its commercial war with Washington.
American commercial deficit against China
He Commerce between China and the US. It is, for decades, one of the central pieces of the global economy. Since the Chinese economic opening in the 1980s, the supply chains of both countries were integrated to the point that Beijing became the main supplier of manufactured goods for Washington, which in turn invested in the Asian country and its growing market and sold agricultural products, machinery and technology.
- In 2023, the US exported to China assets worth about 147,777 million dollars, according to data from the United States Census Office, while US imports from China reached 426,885 million.
He American deficit It was, therefore, of 279,107 million dollars that year and, although it was a decrease with respect to the data of 2022, Trump has continued arguing that it is too favorable to Beijing, especially in sectors such as machinery, textiles and other manufactured products.
Intensification of the Commercial War
During his first presidency (2017-2021), Trump already had a tense relationship with Beijing By imposing several batches of rates worth about 370,000 million dollars annually, which China responded with taxes on US exports.
He trade deficit Between them he reached its highest point in 2018, when it exceeded 400,000 million dollars, when in Washington began to discuss the need to ‘decoup down’ of the Chinese economy to avoid dependencies.
In 2020, both countries signed a truce with a preliminary agreement that, however, kept in force much of The tariffs applied in successive rounds.
In any case, The commercial war Between both powers, relations were significantly tightened and ended up brancing conflicts in other areas, such as technological.
The Chinese manufacturing sector will suffer
Between Chinese products that would suffer more for the taxes would be the manufacturing, highlighting the electronics sector. Among them, smartphones, laptops and other technological components, such as low and medium -end chips, which at the same time could make certain products more expensive in the US.
To this we must add equipment and heavy machinery or chemical products (from fertilizers to essential compounds for plastics production) used in various industries such as automotive, Aeronautics or construction.
The Pharmaceutical industrysince the United States uses active ingredients (API) dependent on Chinese suppliers, or the textile sector, as these products make up an important part of Chinese exports.
According to Wang Zhe, economist from the Caixin Financial Portal, “The growing uncertainty It could make China’s export environment worse, which would raise significant challenges for its economy. “
Some economists claim that Chinese dependence on their exports could cause The tariffs reduce their GDP “by 0.3 % to 0.4 %”.
Electronic, among those affected
Between Chinese companies better known with dependence on the US market stands out:
- Lenovo, producer of computers and electronic devices, which could experience a decrease in demand for its products in the US duty.
- Huawei, which already faces restrictions on access to the US market since the first Trump era and whose business in the North American country has been significantly reduced.
- Automobiles such as ByD and Sellers of automotive parts would also be affected, although electric vehicles from China already face duty additional
- CATL battery manufacturer or the producer of Jinkosolar solar panels could be penalized and their products in the United States on account of the new duty.
