Trump stirs tariff pot by issuing fresh threats

Amid uncertainties like potential tariffs and other trade measures in certain countries, coupled with a highly competitive domestic market, we have shifted our focus to emerging markets since 2021,

said Qiu Riju, the company's general manager

Chinese companies are no strangers to US tariffs in recent years."

Liu Ying, a researcher at Renmin University of China's Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, said

In North America and Europe, there is strong demand for tricycles used on farms,

said Li,

Look, I put large tariffs on China. I've taken in hundreds of billions of dollars. Until I was president, China never paid not 10 cents to the United States,

he said

The European Union is very, very bad to us,

he said, repeating comments made on Monday

Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens.' But this description of tariffs is false. Tariffs imposed by the US government are paid by US importers, not foreign countries."

CNN said in a fact check article on Monday ... In his inaugural address, Trump said

Therefore, the new tariffs this time will cause similar damage to the stability of world trade and global supply chain. US customers and importers will pay higher price to purchase the goods from relevant countries, and the exporters of these countries will be more cautious to export goods to the US due to the increasing costs. Moreover, some countries would take tit-for-tat countermeasures against the US, so US exporters will also be impacted,

Zhou noted

If there are unfair tariffs, we will respond robustly and we will be there to support Canadians and protect our interests,

Trudeau said at the press conference in French when responding to a journalist's question, according to CNN

If there is a need to defend our economic interests, we will be responding in a proportionate way,

Dombrovskis told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland

Trump already has experience in launching a trade war against China, and his administration is looking at targeting Chinese efforts to avoid U.S. tariffs by potentially imposing tariffs on Southeast Asian countries or Mexico,

He Jiangbing, an independent Chinese economic commentator, told VOA by phone

If China comes through with what Trump views as concessions that are good for him and the U.S., he is very likely not to pursue those tariffs right away,

Roberts told VOA by phone

After Trump launched a trade war against China during his first term, some of our American customers asked my company to move production to Vietnam,

a manager at a consumer electronics manufacturer in Guangzhou surnamed Li, who asked to be identified only by his last name due to security concerns, told VOA in a written response

China’s export sector would be hit hard by the tariffs and that means the whole Chinese economy would be hit hard,

he told VOA,

Exporters are employers so they might have to lay off workers and cut wages. People who have been laid off may spend less money and that will hurt the Chinese economy,

Roberts added

Even before Trump’s latest comments, some of our American customers had already pre-ordered a lot of goods from us since his election victory in November,

a Chinese winter apparel exporter surnamed Yuan in Shanghai, who asked to be identified only by his last name due to security concerns, told VOA in a written response

Why does the U.S. go through all this trouble? In the end, the American people are the ones who would have to pay because if China doesn’t export goods, American people won’t even have Christmas trees,

Chinese internet user Fortune Axe Brother wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo

In the United States and many other developed economies, consumers have enjoyed cheaper products as a result [of imports]—but their manufacturers have struggled to compete."

The Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank said

In terms of foreign trade, we don't seek trade surplus; we want to import more competitive quality products and services to promote balanced trade,

he told attendees at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos

Donald Trumppresident

Americans benefit from and deserve an America first trade policy. Therefore, I am establishing a robust and reinvigorated trade policy that promotes investment and productivity, enhances our nation's industrial and technological advantages, defends our economic and national security, and—above all—benefits American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses."

U.S. President Donald Trump

We have a $350bn deficit with the European Union. They treat us very, very badly, so they’re going to be in for tariffs,

he said