Chinese Tariffs on US Goods Begin as Trade War Intensifies

China has started imposing 10% and 15% tariffs on a range of US agricultural goods including fruit, vegetables, meat, grains, and cotton. This follows US President Donald Trump’s increase of the tariffs on Chinese imports to 20%. A majority of customers and merchants in a busy Beijing market are not very concerned despite the introduction of the new tariffs.

A vendor, Shi, mentioned that the tariffs could increase expenses, but shoppers would simply buy more domestically produced products, which are not old like imports. He further mentioned that locally cultivated fruits usually sell better than imported ones. Shi is going to place more importance on fruits from countries like Thailand and Malaysia instead of US-originated fruits.

A customer, He Yulian, from Shanxi said she didn’t mind where the product was made as long as it was good quality. She does prefer imported infant formula and milk, though, because of previous fears about food safety scandals in China, including the melamine-contaminated milk in 2008.

While there are some retailers and consumers who feel that the trade war can encourage purchases of local goods, Shi confirmed that the new tariffs would almost certainly affect daily budgets.