China’s bilateral trade surplus with the US rose in 2017 to a record high of US$275bn according to Chinese data. President Trump, according to the White House, stressed his “disappointment” with this imbalance in a call last week with President Xi and, on Monday, introduced new tariffs on washing machines and solar panels that targeted China. The tariffs in themselves are not a major departure from the status quo – the two countries have had many spats over trade of specific products in the past – but they underline that the relatively soft line that Trump has taken on China since taking office may not last through 2018.
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