Posted originally on May 15, 2024 By Martin Armstrong 

Worsening relations with China, the United States just hit China with a new wave of extremely high tariffs. Around $18 billion worth of Chinese goods will be affected, but the White House deems the tariffs necessary to help American industry.

Washington wants everyone to drive an electric vehicle, so long as it is not produced in China. The current 25% tariff on Chinese EVs will rise to 100%, utterly eliminating any EV trade with China. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said that tariffs on lithium-ion batteries, essential for EVs, will triple in 2025 – the same time that Washington expects the masses to curtail their fossil fuel use.

Semiconductors, a long-debated product in short supply, will double from 25% to 50%. A recent report by McKinsey consultants shows that US companies are struggling to hire and retain staff in this delicate sector. The $52 billion in subsidies provided by Washington under the CHIPS Act has not made a meaningful impact. Still, they expect production in the US to grow simply because we are making it difficult for China to import their goods in a competitive landscape. They fail to consider the impact of shortages on the overall market.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has praised the new round of tariffs, claiming that free trade with America’s top partner is bad for American businesses. “China’s overcapacity distorts global prices and production patterns and hurts American firms and workers, as well as firms and workers around the world,” Yellen misspoke. America does not operate on the mercantilism model; we are a consumer economy. All of these tariffs will cause prices to rise for the already struggling consumer.

Biden insists that consumers will see “no increases on costs” and repeatedly stated that these tariffs will not impact inflation. Do you recall the semiconductor shortage of lately when people could not purchase new phones without weeks or months of waiting, as one small example? Then they are pushing everyone to go electric while eliminating foreign competition. China WILL retaliate and mark up American goods, but worse, they will continue offloading their purchases of US Treasuries.

This is yet another example of disastrous fiscal policies that will invariably harm the American consumer and economy as a whole.