Trump reportedly plans tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods

A smartphone chip component from Chinese manufacturer.
(Image credit: NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump aims to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports, primarily in the technology and telecommunications sectors, Reuters reported, citing a source who discussed the issue with the White House. Another source said the list could include 100 targeted products.

China forces U.S. companies to give up tech secrets in exchange for permission to operate in the world's No. 2 economy. Trump has repeatedly complained about China's $375 billion trade surplus with the U.S. The steel and aluminum tariffs Trump announced last week appear unlikely to trigger a feared trade war, partly because key allies are exempted, but some experts predict China will respond harshly if it is directly targeted.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.