Washington, Sep 18 (UNI) Escalating trade war with China, US President Donald Trump has slapped ten per cent tarrifs on about 200 billion dollars Chinese imports but spared Apple gadgets, as per list of products released by the US Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday.
The new import taxes begin from September 24 and will rise to 25 per cent at the end of 2018.
Smart watches from Apple and Fitbit, bicycle helmets and baby car seats are exempted from the new tariffs.
In a statement announcing the new round of tariffs, Mr Trump said, 'We have been very clear about the type of changes that need to be made, and we have given China every opportunity to treat us more fairly, but, so far, China has been unwilling to change its practices."
'These practices plainly constitute a grave threat to the long-term health and prosperity of the United States economy,' a report in Voice of America, a US government-funded international radio broadcast source, quoted Mr Trump as saying.
The US President warned that if China takes retaliatory action against US farmers or industries, 'We will immediately pursue phase three, which is tariffs on approximately 267 billion dollars of additional imports."
Washington and Beijing had imposed 25 per cent tariffs on 34 billion dollars worth of goods headed across each other's border in recent months.
Mr Trump declared on Twitter that the tariff increases he has imposed have boosted the US economy, the world's largest.
"Tariffs have put the US in a very strong bargaining position, with Billions of Dollars, and Jobs, flowing into our Country –and yet cost increases have thus far been almost unnoticeable. "If countries will not make fair deals with us, they will be “Tariffed!,' Mr Trump added.
Last week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had invited top Chinese officials to a new round of talks, but nothing has been scheduled so far.
UNI XC SV 0942