Trump pauses tariffs on Canada, Mexico but not China

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President Donald Trump on Monday agreed to a 30-day pause on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada as America’s two largest trading partners took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking.

The pauses provide a cool-down period after a tumultuous few days that put North America on the cusp of a trade war that risked crushing economic growth, causing prices to soar and ending two of the United States’ most critical partnerships.

Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs on China are still in place. China announced retaliatory tariffs on select American imports and an antitrust investigation on Tuesday, just minutes after a sweeping levy on Chinese products imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump took effect. 

China’s slew of measures go beyond tariffs and cut across different sectors of the U.S. economy. Some of these include:

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  • Implementing a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products, as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and large-engine cars imported from the U.S.;

  • Imposing export controls on several elements critical to the production of modern high-tech products; and

  • Investigating Google on suspicion of violating antitrust laws.

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