Trump imposes tariffs on $200 bil more of Chinese goods; Apple smart watches, other gadgets exempt

in a victory for Apple Inc and its American customers, the administration removed smart watches and some other consumer electronics products from the list of goods imported from China.

Nothing swampy about that whatsoever.

We are already seeing early results of the modest tariffs that have been announced and these latest additions are sure to add considerably to the momentum. China based operations, whether Chinese owned or subsidiary operations of Western firms, are not prepared to gamble that this is just empty rhetoric and are scrambling to avoid Trump’s trade recalibration hammer blows, by moving production (and with it, jobs) to America. The other East Asian trade behemoths are no doubt also reassessing their increasingly untenable export maximization, import minimalization strategies.

China doesn't pay Trump one dime in tariffs. The US Consumer pays the tariff.

You can't pick and choose, I only hope China slows down and delays shipping the production of the exempted items. You can't exempt Apple and other certain products and penalize all the other companies. I would think this is an illegal act showing preference to some over others.

Apple obviously using that cash pile to put money in the right hands.

Just tax unAmerican things like bicycles instead.

The farcial dangerous embarrasment by the name of Donald J. Trump continues to be the biggest threat to U.S. national security and world stability .. this is part of hiis senseless ego trip. A lilttle knowledge is a dangerous thing in the hands of an “unstable ungenius”.

 The US Consumer pays the tariff.

The revenue of which ends up in the hands of the Federal govt. I guess the govt can redistribute the money back to consumers through tax cuts and tax breaks, giving them more money...to spend. LOL.

Poor people need bike tires. They will have to steal to get them. Make America great!

Trump administration was pursuing a legitimate goal to get China to stop violating international trade rules.

This.

China has many anti-competitive rules for trade with them that need to stop. It would have been smarter to get Canada, Mexico, Japan and the EU to pressure open Chinese markets together with the USA. Hopefully, the rest of the world will start pushing China to end their nasty trade and foreign company policies.

a complete economic illiterate... no wonder so many of his businesses went bankrupt...

If I was China, I'd refuse to export those children's bicycle helmets to the US. They weren't exempted for no reason. Can't find them anywhere else, eh, Mr. Frump? Well, screw the American kids from their best bike-riding safety option and what do you get? Moms that hate you.

Move on it, China!

 It would have been smarter to get Canada, Mexico, Japan and the EU to pressure open Chinese markets together with the USA.

Yes it would. But they had the chance to do something about it for many years, and chose NOT to act in a meaningful way. They didn't want to rock the globalist boat, or make that "mega-yacht."

Time for mainstream parties in the West to get real.

meanwhile jobs, stocks and consumer wages and spending keep going up.. must be because of Obama....

@dango must be because of Obama....

Hear! Hear! Glad to see credit being given to President Obama!

Here's hoping Trump's mole-whacking doesn't screw things up farther down the road. Goosing an economy up can provide short term gains.

But having to pay billions in subsidies to industrial farm corporations among other measures to appease the Republican base might not be the best thing, except perhaps for politicians up for elections.

Well now we officially know in the US power rankings, how Trump ranks compared to Apple. Apple wins.

The revenue of which ends up in the hands of the Federal govt. I guess the govt can redistribute the money back to consumers through tax cuts and tax breaks, giving them more money...to spend. LOL.

Actually, the US government has already started it's socialist program of providing tax money to farmers who have been hurt by the tariffs.

America, where Socialism is a dirty word unless your team is the recipient.

Republicans always go on about how they hate Socialism, then go on to enact Socialist policies to provide welfare to Republicans. Which of course will lead to a greater sense of Republican Entitlement, as if it wasn't already ridiculous.

It should be fun when the “safety inspections” start at US companies in China.

And good luck with North Korea.

I support countering China’s 2015 plan, but I don’t see how this is going to end well for either side if it continues. And Trump is squandering the support of our allies, probably because he lacks the ability to form a coalition.

Just like what's been noted here, and elsewhere that I read, China may put tariffs (or other disruptive things) on some of the exempted things that they make, the stuff the US needs, the stuff that influential US corporations rely on selling.

If Trump is serious about using these tariffs as a tool to achieve a goal then it is no good for the American tech sector to continue to think they will get a free pass. They will not start making the changes necessary to their supply chain. It would have been better to stagger tariffs on tech goods at a lower level, say 5%, with a strong indication that it would be ramped up over the years ahead. Trump needs to reconsider that point. Its not like tech companies are particularly favourable to Republicans either. I don't see why he is doing them a favour. If you want to protect consumers, stagger it and start low.

How can we trust this guy to make any sound business decisions regarding our economy or trade relations?

Most big corporation businessmen or women have maybe one bankruptcy in their history, the GOBI (Great Orange Business Incompetent) has six....

https://www.thoughtco.com/donald-trump-business-bankruptcies-4152019

When it comes to geopolitical economics and great power relations, it's clear who "The Apprentice" is...

The trade deficits will hit a record high this year as China can further devalute the Chinese dollars! You know there is nothing worth to negotiates any any more!! Trump can say: Hey China you are manipulating your currency.....etc. But tge Chinese leaders cares you no no more!

I never thought I'd see the day when I would see Republicans cheering for the government t to raise taxes on Americans and micro-manage the winners and losers in the economy. Truly the Republican party stands for nothing.

@strangerland

Actually, the US government has already started it's socialist program of providing tax money to farmers who have been hurt by the tariffs.

YOu don't know what socialism means. It refers to state ownership of capital. The provision of subsidies by the Trump administration does not affect the farmers' property rights, unless you can prove otherwise.

China CERTAIN to prevail.

JeffLee, you need to study the difference between socialism and communism. American farms have long been supported by a socialist structure and are now being driven more so.

China is not wasting any time and will be slapping tariffs on $60bn of US exports.

The economic illiterate in the White House has made prices more expensive for consumers and lowered exports. Well done.