NYT Journalist on Escalating U.S.-China Trade War | Amanpour and Company

 

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Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause -- with the single exception of China -- on new tariffs that were to take effect today. 

 

Nobody knows where the trade war will end. 

 

• Before Trump hit the pause button, the E.U. had approved counter-tariffs against the U.S., and China was refusing to blink, announcing plans to raise tariffs on American imports to 84%. 

 

• China had been hit with an eye-popping 104% tariff by Washington before Trump again raised the rate to 125%. 

Also hitting a nerve in Beijing were remarks from Vice President JD Vance, who referred to “Chinese peasants” in an interview defending U.S. policy. 

• The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the comments "ignorant" and "disrespectful." 

So the trade war and war of words between the world's two biggest economies, plus Trump's across-the-board crackdown on U.S. institutions, are raising the alarm in Beijing. 

 

Li Yuan covers China and its foreign affairs for The New York Times. Li joined the program from New York.