Currents News Staff
President Trump has been slamming China and praising an upcoming tariff increase on Chinese-made goods.
“We’re not going to be taken advantage of anymore,” said President Trump.
“We’re not going to pay China 500 billion dollars a year, so we put very heavy tariffs on China as of Friday.”
The tariffs have gone into place as the U.S. and China trade talks continue in Washington.
Last July, the Trump administration imposed its first round of tariffs on 50 billion dollars of Chinese exports.
In September, it added a ten percent tariff on approximately 200 billion dollars of additional goods.
At midnight on Friday, those tariffs increase to 25 percent, increasing the price for things like fish, soybeans, handbags, steel, and more.
“On the apparel side they’re going to hit us in our hats, our handbags, our wallets.They’re going to hit us on baseball gloves.” said Rick Helfenbein, President of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, on the effects of the tariffs.
Not on the current list: things like iPhones, televisions, shoes, and toys.
President Trump said tariffs on those popular items are coming soon, meaning American consumers will soon be paying more for nearly everything imported from China.