The trade war intensifies sharply: Another $200 billion in tariffs affects instruments and equipment as well

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This post was last edited by Catalyzing a Grain on 2018-7-18 at 15:43. The trade tensions between China and the United States continue to intensify. On July 6, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, marking the official start of the trade war. A few days later, on July 10, ***** advanced its plan to impose additional tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, releasing a list of the targeted products. The United States is pressing hard, forcing China to take necessary countermeasures. The Sino-US trade war is on the verge of breaking out and continues to intensify, keeping global economic actors on edge. 　　There are no winners in a trade war; the United States, by accelerating its actions to escalate tensions, is undermining the international economic and trade system, which has shocked and puzzled the world. Under the trend of economic globalization and integration, countries around the world have long been closely linked, working together for mutual benefit and integrated development to jointly promote steady growth of the global economy. 　　And the United States’ trade **ism on a global scale has severely harmed the interests of people around the world. The new round of trade tariffs consists of 195 pages and covers various aspects of social life. Consumer goods such as cigarettes, coal, chemicals, clothing, TV parts, and refrigerators, as well as other technology products, are all included on the list. 　　Focusing on the instrumentation industry, following the 117 instruments and components that became involved in the Sino-US trade war, dozens more items from the $200 billion tax list relate to laboratory supplies and equipment. It includes equipment such as optical instruments, measuring instruments, laboratory balances, compressors, microwave ovens, microscopes, and measuring devices. It covers multiple segments of the instrumentation industry. Serial Number | Instruments and Equipment Involved (Partial)
1 | Chemical products and preparations as well as residual products from chemical or related industries
4 | Glass serum bottles, vials, and other containers for pharmaceuticals
5 | Glass optical components (excluding lens blanks), not optically processed
6 | Glass lenses and filters for signal purposes (excluding optical components) and their components, not optically processed
8 | Fused quartz reactor tubes and supports designed for use in diffusion and oxidation furnaces, for semiconductor wafer production
10 | Laboratory, sanitary, or medical glassware, with low coefficient of thermal expansion, whether calibrated or not
11 | Glass microscope slides and coverslips
12 | Laboratory, sanitary, or medical glassware, whether calibrated or not
13 | Air compressors
14 | Air or gas pumps, compressors, and fans
15 | Combined refrigerators-freezers with separate outer doors, electric or otherwise
16 | Certain door components for refrigerators, freezers, and other cooling or freezing equipment
17 | Parts for refrigerators, freezers, and other cooling or freezing equipment, electric or otherwise; parts for heat pumps
18 | Industrial or laboratory microwave ovens used for preparing hot drinks or cooking/ heating food
19 | Parts for industrial or laboratory microwave ovens
20 | Fluorescent lamps, hot cathode discharge lamps, non-ultraviolet lamps
21 | Mercury or sodium vapor discharge lamps or metal halide discharge lamps (excluding ultraviolet lamps)
22 | Other discharge lamps other than fluorescent lamps (hot cathode), mercury or sodium vapor, metal halide lamps, or ultraviolet lamps
23 | Ultraviolet or infrared lamps
24 | Microscopes used for microphotography, microscopical imaging, or microprojection, without devices for capturing images
25 | Compound optical microscopes used for microphotography, microscopical imaging, or microprojection, other than stereoscopic microscopes
26 | LCD devices, optical instruments, and apparatus
27 | Electronic rangefinders
28 | Jewelers’ balances with a sensitivity of 5 cg or higher (non-electric), along with their parts and accessories
29 | Instruments for measuring length, designed for handheld use
30 | Instruments for measuring length, designed for handheld use (e.g., measuring rods and tapes)
31 | Parts and accessories for drawing, marking, or mathematical calculations, as well as handheld instruments for measuring length
32 | Hygrometers and similar floating instruments, whether combined with thermometers or not, non-electronic recording, non-electrical
33 | Other parts and accessories for hydrometers and floating instruments, thermometers, pyrometers, barometers, hygrometers, and combinations thereof
34 | Non-electric instruments that include liquid supply mechanisms and anemometers
35 | Non-electrical optical instruments and equipment used for gas or smoke analysis
36 | Non-electrical or smoke analysis equipment other than optical instruments and equipment
37 | Parts and accessories for non-electronic optical instruments and equipment under category 9027

Undoubtedly, with the imposition of tariffs worth $250 billion, a new round of trade wars is about to begin. But the United States **may be able to block imported goods from abroad, but it cannot stop companies from expanding overseas. On July 9, the renowned American electric vehicle and energy company Tesla announced its intention to establish a facility in Lingang, Shanghai, to build a Tesla Gigafactory. On the 11th, Chicago’s mayor, Emanuel, led a large economic and trade delegation to China to discuss trade and investment cooperation with Chinese officials. This clearly shows that the Chinese market holds great potential for development, and local governments and businesses in the United States are striving to seize business opportunities and pursue new growth. 　　For our domestic enterprises, we have reason to believe that, with ****calm and resolute trade policies, our country will embark on a new round of reform and opening up in a more open manner. The Ministry of Commerce also stated that it **will continue to assess the impact on various types of enterprises** ； Use the tariff revenue generated by these countermeasures to mitigate the impact on businesses and employees ； Enterprises are encouraged to adjust their import structure, such as increasing imports of agricultural products and automobiles from other ** and regions ； Create a better investment environment and stronger protection of legal rights for enterprises. Multiple measures have been taken to mitigate the impact on enterprises resulting from Sino-US trade tensions. 　　The United States’ escalation of the trade war is unpopular. An orderly international trade system is a common need for countries around the world, as well as an important cornerstone for global economic growth; all countries should abide by and uphold trade order. In fact, what lies deeper behind the trade war is a battle for reform. Only by firmly advancing high-quality economic development and by relying on innovation and self-strengthening to foster and enhance the core competitiveness of enterprises can our country cope with this protracted struggle.