Donald Trump has again defended tariffs as his dogged, often self-contradictory pursuit of a trade war with China put allies and opponents alike in a difficult spot. Stocks tumbled after China said it would impose higher tariffs on US goods including frozen vegetables and liquefied natural gas, in retaliation for America raising tariffs on $200bn in Chinese imports. Trump has threatened to extend tariffs to the remaining $300bn or so in Chinese imports that haven’t been targeted yet, but he told reporters Monday: “I have not made that decision yet.”
As the clash of the world’s two biggest economies raised fears of global shockwaves, Trump denied American consumers would pay the price.
