US steel tariffs to come into force as Trump eyes trade measures aimed at China

Testing an already uneasy relationship with Beijing, US President Donald Trump will announce new hostile trade measures against China today.

The tariffs, which are likely to be announced in conjunction with the implementation of new tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, will be focused on targeting Chinese acquisitions of sensitive US technology and intellectual property.

The measures are designed to impact $55 billion in goods from industries such as clothing, electronics and services. They are a response to what the White House views as an unhealthy trade deficit and increasing demands that American tech companies operating in China hand over control of sensitive user data Beijing.

In conjunction with the steel and aluminium tariffs, today’s announcement is likely to be a significant test of wider fears of a trade war breaking out among the US and many of its key trading partners. Due to the strong focus on curbing China’s broader industrial development strategy, Beijing will oppose the measures and is likely to implement retaliatory tariffs on key US export industries, like soybeans.