• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After hitting oil tankers, Iran targets Navy warships and U.S. retaliates with 'higher economic cost' in new escalation that could transform the war

2

Widow of airman killed in Mideast was told hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks wouldn't apply because 'we were not at war.' A viral post fixed it

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money

1

After hitting oil tankers, Iran targets Navy warships and U.S. retaliates with 'higher economic cost' in new escalation that could transform the war

2

Widow of airman killed in Mideast was told hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks wouldn't apply because 'we were not at war.' A viral post fixed it

3

Despite being a multimillionaire, Suze Orman still cooks at home whenever possible—and says eating out is one of the biggest wastes of money
China

Here Are the Chinese Industries Donald Trump Will Target in a Trade War

By
Scott Cendrowski
Scott Cendrowski
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Scott Cendrowski
Scott Cendrowski
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 15, 2016, 5:28 AM ET
President-Elect Donald Trump Delivers Remarks After Touring A Carrier Manufacturing Plant
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an event at Carrier Corp. in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. Trump said he called the top executive of United Technologies Corp. shortly after his election and told him not to close a Carrier factory in Indianapolis that became a symbol of the Republican's outsider campaign for the White House. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDaniel Acker—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The high tariffs on Chinese imports proposed by Donald Trump might slice 1.3% percentage points off China’s GDP growth, according to a new estimate, and hurt U.S. consumers if they target low-end goods instead of other industries.

“Trade will come up very early in Trump presidency,” Francis Cheng, head of China strategy at the Hong Kong brokerage and investment bank CLSA, said today.

He predicts Trump will go after specific sectors in China instead of implementing an across-the-board tariff (Trump has said the tariff could rise as high as 45%). That’s because China’s top three exports to the U.S.—mobile phones, computers, and consumer goods including baby carriages, toys, and sporting supplies—are mostly products made for U.S. companies. Think iPhones being built by Foxconn.

“The biggest loser is U.S. companies if there’s a trade war,” Cheng said.

Instead, the Chinese industries most likely to get slapped with new tariffs are those against which the U.S. has already filed disputes through the World Trade Organization (WTO): steel, aluminum, auto and solar glass, and automobile parts.

 

U.S. presidents have wide latitude to invoke tariffs, and Trump’s pledge to use a 45% tariff against unfair Chinese trade is likely, maybe even probable, because it’s happened before. President Reagan imposed quotas and tariffs on cheap Japanese products flooding into U.S. markets in the 1980s. In 1983, a 45% tariff was imposed on imported Japanese automobiles, and four years later, Japanese computers, TVs, and power tools were hit with a 100% tariff.

Japanese companies’ responses to the moves are likely to be repeated in China, CLSA’s Cheng says. The Japanese raised prices to combat the tariffs and then moved production abroad, much of it to other countries in Asia, to save costs.

Trump’s policies aren’t any more likely to bring lost manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. than Reagan’s were in his day, however. For one simple reason: The U.S. minimum wage, as Cheng points out, is eight times higher than China’s.

About the Author
By Scott Cendrowski
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Google source logo
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in International


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in International


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.