Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported today (April 14): "Trump said that the exemption measure is just to transfer electronic products 'to another tariff category', and he also said that a national security trade investigation on the semiconductor industry will be conducted. U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo also said that the tariff exemption is only a temporary relief, and in the next two months, key technology products from China and semiconductor products will face a separate tariff."
On the surface, transferring electronic products "to another tariff category" seems like an adjustment, but it is essentially the same old trick with a new coat.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo said that the tariff exemption is only a temporary relief, and in the next two months, key technology products from China and semiconductor products will face a separate tariff, which undoubtedly casts a shadow over the global supply chain of related industries once again.
The previous exemption of "reciprocal tariffs" for electronic products had given relevant enterprises and markets a glimmer of hope, but Trump's recent remarks have made this hope dimmer, fully exposing the uncertainty in America's trade policy.
Previously, the Trump administration predicted that the trade war would prompt Apple to produce iPhones in the United States for the first time. However, considering the highly refined supply chain that Apple has built in China over decades, such a scenario is almost impossible.
Moreover, building new factories in the United States will take years and require billions of dollars in investment, which will put enormous economic pressure on Apple and may cause the price of iPhones to soar to three times its current level, thus threatening the sales of its flagship product.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829336200940556/
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