Paris: Steel, soybeans, aircraft... The list of products hit by trade tensions between the United States and China increases almost daily.
US President Donald Trump, who has vowed repeatedly to reduce the trade deficit, began a series of announcement of tariffs.
The US trade deficit with China rose to $375 billion in 2017 out of a total of $566 billion.
Some measures have come into effect while others are in waiting, with both Washington and Beijing having detailed plans to levy charges on goods worth $50 billion.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose duties on another $100 billion of Chinese imports.
Here is an overview of the main products targeted in the escalating trade duel between the world’s two top economies.
On March 8, Trump signed an order to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum, citing national security concerns.
The tariffs came into effect on March 23.
Some countries were exempted, at least temporarily, but not China.
China is the world’s top producer of steel and aluminum, but it accounts for only 2 percent of steel imports into the United States and 10 percent of aluminum.
Trump also accuses China of unfair competition and stealing US intellectual property in the form of its inventions and innovation.
On March 23, the United States launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization against China over intellectual property breaches.
Foreign companies have long complained about Beijing’s failure to protect know-how and patents, in some cases forcing firms to share information with domestic partners as the price for doing business in the massive Chinese market.
In August 2017 Washington formally started a trade investigation into China’s intellectual property practices and the forced transfer of US technology under Section 301 of US trade law, which addresses intellectual property.
On April 3, Washington announced a provisional list of Chinese imports that would be subject to new duties, targeting products from various sectors including aeronautics, information and communication technologies, and robotics and machinery.
A few hours after the publication of the US target list, Beijing announced duties of 25 percent on the US aeronautics and automobile sectors.
In the aeronautics sector, the tariffs target planes weighing no more than 45,000 kg — smaller than the long-range commercial jets made by Boeing, but the fate of medium-range 737 jets is left uncertain. Boeing says it is “confident that dialogue continues.”
In its response Beijing also targets soybeans with duties of 25 percent, an action aimed the heart of the US economy because China buys 61 percent of total US soybean exports and more than 30 percent of overall US production of this cereal.
The measure constitutes an electoral risk for Trump as he approaches mid-term elections, as soybeans are cultivated in states that voted for him in 2016, including Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
China had already announced duties of 15 to 25 percent on US agricultural products with little strategic importance.
Products hit by US-China trade tensions
Products hit by US-China trade tensions
Boeing has 400 defense partners in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH: Boeing Saudi Arabia President Asaad Al-Jomai said the company has more than 400 defense partners in Saudi Arabia and works closely with local manufacturers such as Saudi Arabian Military Industries, or SAMI, which is leading the Kingdom’s defense localization mission.
He added: “The partnership is also active through academic and technical cooperation as Boeing is a founding partner of Al-Faisal University and has partnerships with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, or KAUST, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology.”
Localization of industry is a key objective for companies operating in Saudi Arabia, Al-Jomai said, adding that partnerships with firms such as SAMI support the Kingdom’s goal of localizing more than 50 percent of military spending by 2030. Boeing considers itself a central partner in localization and technology transfer.
According to Al-Jomai, Boeing’s relationship with Saudi Arabia spans more than 81 years. The company currently employs more than 90 people at its Saudi headquarters and has delivered more than 170 commercial aircraft in recent years.
Defense contracts dominate operations
Boeing’s existing contracts include maintenance and technical support for advanced defense systems, most notably F-15 fighter jets, with Saudi Arabia the largest operator of the aircraft outside the US.
He added that these contracts also cover Apache attack helicopters and AH-6i aircraft, known as the “Little Bird.”
Al-Jomai said that although support agreements cover both commercial and defense sectors, defense operations currently dominate in Saudi Arabia due to the expansion in military spending. He added that long global delivery cycles for commercial aircraft have shifted technical support efforts toward servicing defense fleets already operating in the Kingdom.
According to Boeing’s website, Boeing Defense, Space & Security’s relationship with the Royal Saudi Air Force began in 1978 when Saudi Arabia selected its first fleet of F-15C/D aircraft, forming the backbone of the Kingdom’s air defense.
The fleet expanded significantly in December 2011 when Saudi Arabia and the US signed a military sales agreement — the largest in US history at the time — covering F-15SA fighter jets, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and AH-6 light armed reconnaissance helicopters.
