New Economy Forum
Trump's Trade War With China May Hit Parts of Your Car First
- Trump tariffs threaten China’s auto-parts sales to the U.S.
- Small manufacturers are most at risk in escalating trade war
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The U.S.-China trade war threatens to make September a very slow month at E.D. Opto Electrical Lighting Co.’s auto-parts factory in the eastern Chinese city of Zhenjiang.
With President Donald Trump slapping tariffs on items like car gaskets and ignition wiring sets in July, American buyers of the company’s LED car lights pushed hard over the summer to get their orders delivered early in case they got caught up in the next salvo. Now, with the U.S. poised to target another $200 billion of Chinese goods as soon as this week -- including the car lights made by E.D. Opto -- export manager Melissa Shu wonders what’s going to happen to the business.