Trump Ramps Up Tariffs, Barely a Threat to China, Real Goal is to Harvest American Companies
These past few days, a news story has sparked heated discussions online. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said that starting in June 2027, tariffs will be imposed on Chinese semiconductor products, with specific tax rates to be announced one month in advance.
Some domestic netizens believe that this is Trump's new move against China, and we should not passively respond but take the initiative. However, in fact, this tariff announcement poses almost no threat to China. In fact, the real purpose of Trump's actions is not Chinese companies, but American ones.
First, the date of June 2027 is very delicate. If Trump really wanted to hinder the development of China's semiconductor industry, why not act now? Trump clearly knows that after the recent trade war between the U.S. and China, the U.S. lost badly. Leaving a year and a half allows for the reconstruction of the rare earth industry, but given the pace of "manufacturing reindustrialization" in the U.S., we all know it's impossible.
Second, data from 2024 shows that China's semiconductor product exports were approximately $46 billion, which seems to be affected by U.S. tariffs. But actually, only about $2.2 billion of related products are sold to the U.S. market. Our semiconductor products are mostly mid-to-low-end chips, mainly sold to developing countries, and the U.S. can't do much about it.
At the same time, American companies account for more than 50% of the global chip market. Imposing tariffs on Chinese chips under the pretense of "non-market behavior" is pure malicious competition. On this point, Trump might feel justified, but he also fears that China may take countermeasures.
In contrast, if the Trump administration really imposes tariffs, who would be most affected? It would be American companies like Apple and Tesla, which have significant investments and production lines in China. Once China takes equivalent countermeasures, these companies won't necessarily face total disaster, but they will certainly suffer major losses.
For this reason, Trump even tried to cover it up, instead urging these companies to build factories back in the U.S. as soon as possible, saying it's too dangerous outside. He has been saying this for almost a year, but why American companies prefer to pay bribes and give gifts to the White House rather than return? Trump surely knows the answer.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852353278460043/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.