The United States no longer imposes tariffs. Lithium-ion battery export crisis is suspended

July 13, 2019

The United States no longer imposes tariffs on China’s $300 billion in goods! Lithium-ion battery export crisis is suspended

 

Recently, Sino-US trade relations have been very tense. As of May 10, 2019, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on China's $250 billion in exports. In the list of tariffs, products related to the battery industry include battery products such as lead-acid batteries, but lithium-ion batteries are not listed.

Despite this, companies producing lithium-ion batteries have been uneasy because on May 17, the US Federal Gazette published a list of tariffs on China's $300 billion in goods. Looking at the items listed in the list, I found that the lithium-ion battery is impressive.

 

This shows that if the subsequent $300 billion in commodity taxation is implemented, the export of lithium-ion batteries to the United States also needs to be subject to a 25% tariff.

Lithium-ion batteries will not be subject to tariffs, which is related to the hearing of the US Trade Representative Office that ended on June 14th. The hearing is actually a "debating contest" on whether to impose tariffs on China's $300 billion in goods. In this "debating contest", many American companies have objections to the increase of tariffs. In the week after the hearing, the Trump administration will make a decision on this.

 

On June 28 and 29, at the G20 summit in Japan, the heads of state of China and the United States had a 80-minute meeting in the intersessional period. According to the Xinhua News Agency reported on the 29th, the Trump administration decided not to continue to impose tariffs on China. This indicates that the Sino-US trade war may end in a year, and Sino-US trade is back on track. Lithium-ion battery export companies that are on the sidelines can also temporarily let go.

In fact, a careful description of Xinhua News Agency and the Associated Press on the suspension of tariffs on this meeting will reveal subtle differences.

The Xinhua News Agency stated that the two heads of state agreed to restart economic and trade consultations on the basis of equality and mutual respect, and the US no longer imposes new tariffs on Chinese products. The economic and trade teams of the two countries will discuss specific issues.

The Associated Press expressed it as: The two countries agreed to restart the stalled trade negotiations, and the United States will suspend the threat of imposing additional tariffs on Chinese goods. A subsequent report said that both the United States and China expressed their desire to ease the conflict that lasted for one year, but they did not seem to be compromising.

The United States no longer imposes tariffs on China’s $300 billion in goods! Lithium-ion battery export crisis is suspended

It can be seen that the United States does not simply stop adding tariffs. There are still many hidden conditions behind it. These conditions may be raised after China and the United States decided to restart trade consultations. China has always advocated Sino-US "Harmony." Profits and points are fearful. I hope that the two sides will develop trade on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. What is certain is that in the near future, as long as the US does not "return", lithium-ion battery companies do not have to worry about exporting to the United States.