China Hits Back Against Latest Proposal for Section 301 Tariffs
China responded to proposed U.S. tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods under Section 301 with a new tariff threat of its own on Aug. 3. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced plans to add tariffs of between 5 percent and 25 percent on 5,207 items, said to account for about $60 billion worth of goods from the U.S. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is considering imposing tariffs of 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods (see 1808010070). "The US measures have deviated from the consensus of the two sides, leading to an escalation of trade friction between China and the United States, serious violations of relevant rules of the World Trade Organization, and damage to our national interests and people's interests," the Ministry of Commerce said, according to an unofficial translation.
China released four lists of goods: one for new 25 percent tariffs, one for new 20 percent tariffs, one for new 10 percent tariffs and one for new 5 percent tariffs. Among the items being targeted by the Chinese are wood products, alcoholic drinks, coffee, liquified natural gas and leather goods. Implementation dates "will be announced separately," it said. Chemicals were again caught by the tariffs, said the American Chemistry Council. "According to analysis by the American Chemistry Council’s economics and statistics department, out of the 5,207 products across the 4 Chinese tariff lists, 999 are chemicals and plastic products. Thus, nineteen percent (19%) of all of the products listed are chemicals and plastic products," the group said in a news release.
While the translated version of the announcement mentions "items for the United States and Canada" within the titles of the four lists, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy said that's a mistranslation. A spokesman for the Canadian embassy said, "given the importance of our trading relationship with both the U.S. and China, we are monitoring developments closely, including identifying any potential impacts on Canadian interests." Subsequently, the Canadian spokesperson said "we have confirmation now that the draft Chinese lists are not targeting Canada."
List of Goods Subject to 25% tariffs:
The 8-digit subheadings for the list goods subject to 25 percent tariffs fall in the following Harmonized Tariff Schedule chapters and headings (note that not all subheadings would necessarily be covered in the headings listed below):
- Chapter 1: 0101, 0106
- Chapter 2: 0204, 0210
- Chapter 3: 0305
- Chapter 4: 4090, 0410
- Chapter 5: 0504, 0508, 0511
- Chapter 6: 0602, 0603, 0604
- Chapter 7: 0710
- Chapter 8: 0811, 0814
- Chapter 9: 0901, 0902, 0904, 0906, 0909, 0910
- Chapter 11: 1101, 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, 1106, 1107, 1108, 1109
- Chapter 12: 1206, 1207, 1211, 1212
- Chapter 13: 1302
- Chapter 14: 1401, 1404
- Chapter 15: 1504, 1506, 1507, 1508, 1509, 1512, 1513, 1514, 1515, 1516, 1517, 1520
- Chapter 16: 1602
- Chapter 17: 1701, 1702
- Chapter 18: 1801, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806
- Chapter 19: 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905
- Chapter 20: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Chapter 21: 2101, 2102, 2103, 2105, 2106
- Chapter 22: 2201, 2202, 2203, 2204, 2205, 2206, 2207, 2208, 2209
- Chapter 23: 2301, 2304, 2306
- Chapter 25: 2501, 2502, 2503, 2504, 2505, 2506, 2507, 2509, 2510, 2512, 2513, 2515, 2516, 2517, 2518, 2519, 2520, 2522, 2523, 2524, 2525, 2528, 2529, 2530
- Chapter 26: 2601, 2602, 2603, 2604, 2608, 2614, 2615, 2616, 2617
- Chapter 27: 2711
- Chapter 28: 2801, 2804, 2805, 2807, 2808, 2809, 2811, 2812, 2814, 2815, 2816, 2818, 2822, 2823, 2825, 2826, 2827, 2828, 2831, 2832, 2833, 2834, 2835, 2836, 2837, 2839, 2841, 2842, 2843, 2844, 2846, 2847, 2853
- Chapter 29: 2901, 2902, 2903, 2905, 2906, 2907, 2908, 2909, 2910, 2912, 2913, 2914, 2915, 2916, 2917, 2918, 2921, 2922, 2924, 2925, 2927, 2929, 2930, 2931, 2933, 2934, 2936, 2937, 2938, 2939, 2941
- Chapter 30: 3005, 3006
- Chapter 31: 3102, 3104, 3105
- Chapter 32: 3201, 3202, 3203, 3204, 3206, 3207, 3208, 3209, 3214
- Chapter 33: 3301, 3302, 3303, 3304, 3305
- Chapter 34: 3401, 3403, 3407
- Chapter 35: 3501
- Chapter 37: 3701, 3702, 3707
- Chapter 38: 3801, 3805, 3806, 3808, 3809, 3812, 3817, 3823, 3824, 3825, 3826
- Chapter 39: 3902, 3903, 3904, 3905, 3906, 3907, 3908, 3909, 3912, 3913, 3916, 3917, 3918, 3819, 3920, 3921, 3922, 3923, 3924, 3925, 3926
- Chapter 40: 4001, 4002, 4005, 4006, 4007, 4009, 4010, 4011, 4012, 4013, 4014, 4015, 4016, 4017
- Chapter 41: 4101, 4102, 4104, 4106, 4107, 4112, 4113, 4114, 4115
- Chapter 42: 4202, 4203, 4205
- Chapter 43: 4301, 4302, 4303, 4304
- Chapter 44: 4401, 4402, 4403, 4405, 4407, 4408, 4409, 4410, 4411, 4412,4413, 4415, 4417, 4418, 4420, 4421
- Chapter 45: 4501, 4503, 4504
- Chapter 46: 4601, 4602
- Chapter 47: 4706
- Chapter 48: 4801, 4802, 4805, 4806, 4807, 4808, 4810, 4811, 4816, 4817, 4819, 4820, 4822, 4823
- Chapter 49: 4906, 4908, 4910, 4911
- Chapter 50: 5007
- Chapter 51: 5101, 5103, 5106, 5107, 5108, 5109, 5111, 5112
- Chapter 52: 5203, 5204, 5205, 5206, 5207, 5208, 5209, 5210, 5211, 5212
- Chapter 53: 5306, 5309
- Chapter 54: 5401, 5402, 5403, 5407, 5408
- Chapter 55: 5501, 5503, 5504, 5506, 5507, 5508, 5509, 5510, 551, 5512, 5513, 5514, 5515, 5516
- Chapter 56: 5601, 5602, 5603, 5605, 5606, 5609
- Chapter 57: 5701, 5702, 5703
- Chapter 58: 5801, 5802, 5804, 5806, 5807, 5808, 5810
- Chapter 59: 5901, 5902, 5903, 5906, 5907, 5911
- Chapter 60: 6001, 6002, 6003, 6004, 6005, 6006
- Chapter 61: 6101, 6102, 6103, 6104, 6105, 6106, 6107, 6108, 6109, 6110, 6111, 6112, 6113, 6114, 6115, 6116, 6117
- Chapter 62: 6201, 6202, 6203, 6204, 6205, 6206, 6207, 6208, 6209, 6210, 6211, 6212, 6213, 6214, 6215, 6216, 6217
- Chapter 63: 6301, 6302, 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306
- Chapter 64: 6402, 6403, 6404, 6505
- Chapter 66: 6601, 6602, 6603
- Chapter 67: 6702, 6703, 6704
- Chapter 68: 6802, 6804, 6807, 6808, 6809, 6810, 6811, 6812, 6813, 6814, 6815
- Chapter 69: 6901, 6902, 6907, 6910, 6911, 6912, 6913
- Chapter 70: 7002, 7003, 7004, 7005, 7006, 7007, 7008, 7009, 7010, 7011, 7013, 7014, 7015, 7016, 7018, 7019, 7020
- Chapter 71: 7101, 7102, 7103, 7104, 7105, 7106, 7108, 7109, 7110, 7111, 7114, 7116, 7117
- Chapter 72: 7201, 7202, 7203, 7205, 7206, 7207, 7208, 7209, 7210, 7211, 7214, 7215, 7216, 7217, 7218, 7219, 7220, 7221, 7222, 7223, 7224, 7225, 7226, 7227, 7228, 7229
- Chapter 73: 7301, 7302, 7304, 7305, 7306, 7307, 7308, 7310, 7312, 7314, 7315, 7318, 7319, 7320, 7321, 7322, 7323, 7324, 7325
- Chapter 74: 7402, 7403, 7405, 7406, 7407, 7408, 7409, 7410, 7411, 7412, 7413, 7418, 7419
- Chapter 75: 7501, 7502, 7504, 7508
- Chapter 76: 7601, 7603, 7604, 7605, 7606, 7607, 7608, 7612, 7615
- Chapter 78: 7801, 7804
- Chapter 79: 7901, 7903, 7904, 7907
- Chapter 80: 8001, 8003, 8007
- Chapter 81: 8102, 8103, 8104, 8105, 8107, 8108, 8110, 8112
- Chapter 82: 8201, 8202, 8203, 8204, 8207, 8208, 8209, 8211, 8213, 8214, 8215
- Chapter 83: 8301, 8302, 8303, 8305, 8306
- Chapter 84: 8402, 8403, 8404, 8406, 8408, 8409, 8410, 8413, 8414, 8415, 8416, 8417, 8418, 8419, 8420, 8421, 8422, 8423, 8424, 8425, 8426, 8428, 8429, 8430, 8431, 8432, 8433, 8434, 8438, 8439, 8440, 8441, 8442, 8443, 8444, 8445, 8446, 8447, 8448, 8449, 8449, 8450, 8451, 8452, 8453, 8454, 8456, 8457, 8458, 8459, 8460, 8461, 8462, 8463, 8434, 8465, 8466, 8467, 8468, 8470, 8471, 8472, 8473, 8474, 8475, 8476, 8477, 8479, 8480, 8481, 8482, 8483
- Chapter 85: 8501, 8502, 8503, 8504, 8505, 8506, 8507, 8508, 8509, 8510, 8511, 8512, 8513, 8514, 8515, 8516, 8517, 8518, 8519, 8521, 8522, 8523, 8525, 8527, 8528, 8529, 8531, 8532, 8533, 8534, 8535, 8536, 8537, 8538, 8539, 8540, 8541, 8543, 8544, 8545, 8546, 8547, 8548
- Chapter 86: 8607, 8608, 8609
- Chapter 89: 8903, 8905, 8906
- Chapter 90: 9001, 9002, 9003, 9004, 9005, 9006, 9007, 9010, 9011, 9013, 9015, 9016, 9017, 9018, 9019, 9023, 9028, 9029, 9030, 9031
- Chapter 91: 9102, 9103, 9104, 9105, 9109, 9112, 9113, 9114
- Chapter 92: 9201, 9202, 9205, 9207, 9808, 9209
- Chapter 94: 9401, 9403, 9404, 9405, 9406
- Chapter 95: 9503, 9504, 9505,9506, 9507
- Chapter 96: 9601, 9603, 9606, 9607, 9611, 9613, 9614, 9620
- Chapter 97: 9704
(See 1808060006 for coverage of the list of goods subject to 20 percent tariffs, 1808070020 for coverage of the list of goods subject to 10 percent tariffs and 1808080012 for coverage of the list of goods subject to 5 percent tariffs.)