US levies 10% taxes on Chinese products worth $200 bn
Washington, July 11 : President Donald Trump has ordered the start of imposing additional 10 per cent taxes on Chinese imports worth $200 billion, according to a statement by the US Trade Representative (USTR).
The new tariffs were adopted on Tuesday by the Trump administration in retaliation for Beijing's response to the first set of taxes imposed by Washington, Efe news reported.
On July 6, the US levied 25-per cent tariffs worth $34 billion as part of a first tax package worth $50 billion, to which China responded with similar measures.
"As a result of China's retaliation and failure to change its practices, the President has ordered USTR to begin the process of imposing tariffs of 10 per cent on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports," the agency said in a statement.
Along with the statement, the USTR published a 200-page list of products affected by the measure such as fruits and vegetables, cereals, products of animal origin, wood, boats and construction materials.
The list also includes chemical products, fuels, tobacco and alcohol, textiles, answering machines and photographic and video material, among others.
"For more than a year, the Trump administration has patiently urged China to stop its unfair practices, open its market, and engage in true market competition," the USTR said in its statement.
"We have been very clear and detailed regarding the specific changes China should undertake. Unfortunately, China has not changed its behaviour that puts the future of the US economy at risk," the text added.
The agency also announced that it will proceed with a public notice and comment process before the new tariffs officially take effect.
Trump had previously warned China of the imposition of the latest tariffs and of a possible third tax package worth $300 billion if the Asian giant decides to respond.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
