United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was considering imposing a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, which could come into force as soon as February 1.
Yet, if the intent of the proposed tariffs was to hurt Chinese exports, in a bid to push for US interests in their trade relationship, Trump’s threats — so far at least — appear to have had the opposite effect.
China’s overall exports, including to the US, have grown in recent months.
On Tuesday, Trump argued that China was behind the supply of fentanyl to US neighbours, which he said was in turn responsible for a deadly addiction crisis in the country.
As 2024 came to a close, Chinese exports to US companies rose, growing by 4 percent between November 2023 and November 2024.
But more broadly, Trump has also accused China of unfair trade practices. China, the world’s largest exporter, has a massive balance of trade advantage with the US. In the first 11 months of 2024, Chinese exports to the US totalled about $401bn, while China imported approximately $131bn in goods from the US.
China’s overall exports have boomed too. Last month, Chinese total exports hit record highs, up 10.7 percent in December compared with a year earlier, beating analyst estimates. Total exports for 2024 reached $3.58 trillion, a 5.9 percent increase from 2023.
China’s trade surplus soared to a record-breaking $992bn in 2024, representing a 21 percent increase from the previous year, as reported by the customs on Monday.
And there could be more bad news for the US.
“While this influx temporarily fuelled China’s trade surplus, the broader trade relationship has been undermined by US policies,” Carlos Lopes, a Chatham House associate fellow for the Africa Programme, told Al Jazeera.
“Escalation of tariffs and a continuation of unilateral measures could deepen the erosion of trust in the global trade system, further pushing China to diversify its partners and reduce reliance on the US market,” Lopes, whose areas of expertise include international trade and China, said.
