Years ago, I was in a desolate African country. There, the US military had decided to integrate various specialized forces to come up with a multifunctional group. The plan was to build barracks in the middle of nowhere in steep mountains from where to train... They couldn't find any local or US contractors to do the job and they sure as hell weren't going to do it themselves (they're warriors ffs). They contracted with a Chinese builder who brought in a couple hundred guys from China to do the job. Everything was hand carried from the road to the site, through miles of steep rugged mountains. Job done.
Well I'll be damned: China imposes retaliatory 34% tariff on imports of all US goods https://flip.it/7tloZg Euronews China imposes retaliatory 34% tariff on imports of all US goods Published on 04/04/2025 - 12:54 GMT+2 China's move comes in response to US tariffs, totalling 34% on Chinese goods, announced by Washington this week. China announced on Friday that it would impose a 34% tariff on imported goods from the US, starting 10 April. The move is a response to a US levy of the same amount on Chinese goods, announced by US President Donald Trump earlier this week as part of his so-called "Liberation Day" package. The US 34% tariff is on top of previously announced duties, meaning the overall tariff rate could rise to at least 54%. The Commerce Ministry in Beijing also said that it had filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) in relation to Trump's tariffs. "It is a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order," said a spokesperson. Washington's approach "seriously violates WTO rules, damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and the international economic and trade order," Beijing added. China also announced on Friday that it would impose more export restrictions on rare earths, used in products like computer chips and EV batteries. Included in the list of minerals subject to controls is samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defence sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans. Suspension of certain imports China's customs administration announced it had suspended chicken imports from two US suppliers, Mountaire Farms of Delaware and Coastal Processing. It said Chinese customs had repeatedly detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies. Additionally, the government in Beijing said it had added 27 firms to lists of companies subject to trade sanctions or export controls. Among them, 16 are subject to a ban on the export of “dual-use” goods. High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company, were among those listed. In February, China announced a 15% tariff on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products from the U.S. It separately added a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars. The latest tariffs apply to all products made in the US, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance’s State Council Tariff Commission. Goods expected to be hard-hit include pharmaceutical products, crude oil, petroleum gas and LNG. China also imports a significant amount of US agricultural products. Copyright © euronews 2025
In 2023, the United States imported pharmaceutical products primarily from Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, India, and the Netherlands. Here's a more detailed breakdown: Top 5 Pharmaceutical Exporters to the US (2023): Ireland:$31.6 billion Germany:$21.5 billion Switzerland:$17.9 billion India:$10.8 billion Netherlands:$10.1 billion Other Notable Exporters: Belgium:A significant exporter of pharmaceuticals to the US Italy:Also a notable exporter of pharmaceuticals to the US France
I do get it and I agree: the Chinese get things done. But what is the plan: send Chinese workers to the US to build factories using Chinese construction materials and Chinese-made machinery...? And then? Who's going to staff them? Salary? Price of finished goods made in the US vs. imported goods? And are the US farmers going to grow bananas and avocados in the Midwest instead of corn?
I agree. If you've seen American Factory on Netflix, you see how far apart we are strictly from a manufacturing perspective, the pace, the expectations, the drive...In the end, the only way the Chinese company could remain in the US and compete with their China factory was to automate the factory floor and, thankfully, they did. It's a demonstration that we obviously cannot compete on their terms. However, Chinese adjust and adapt to foreign requirements when necessary. They were quick to adopt ISO and others standards to enter western markets 20 years ago, and we could just as well require generalized workplace standards. I've often made clear my disdain of unions and I'm not a proponent of the UN's ILO (Int'l Labor Organization) what I'm advocating for is a global labor standard based on measurable values, like an ISO, such as work hours, paid holidays, sick leave, etc. to establish a fair basis for all companies looking to export their products. Of course it would take much more for Chinese to think of life as more than hard work and money. It's culturally ingrained based on centuries of survival of the fittest, but nothing that 2-3 generations of comforts can't modify.
@VicBee, I agree with your post. Two things I'm not sure I understand, though. This sounds very much like ILO's ILS (International Labor Standards)??? This is actually one of the points of contention between the EU and Trump, when they talk about "non-tariff" barriers, they mean things like this (the EU rejects products made or extracted with slave labor). I think this has been changing for a while, ever since China opened up travel abroad. Chinese men retire at 60 and women at 55. Plus this (Tang ping, or "laying flat"): https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60353916
Yeah, I've read about that. You can tell that within another couple generations a aspirational gap between the blue collar labor force living on tight budgets and the white collar "middle class" will become a challenge for the political structure. I'm not really familiar with the ILO's objectives other than, like I said earlier, I'd rather they focus on measurable standards over aspirational goals, like social justice or labor rights. Maybe it's because I'm from an older generation that believes a company doesn't owe anyone a job, and that it's the role of government to establish work rules that all businesses and employees are to abide by, rather than contract out the responsibility to unions and their special interests.
Hmmmm well haven't they been for the last 5 or 6 decades?? I don't know about you but I think we have done just fine since that time .. If it's jobs you worry about we have had historic low unemployment ever since China started producing ... I think if I recall we are the richest country in the world. So what's the problem???
Medicines mostly manufactured in India. The US relies on China for certain (or most of) active pharmaceutical ingredients.