With the tariffs that President Trump unveiled on Wednesday, he is not just closing America’s front door to Chinese exports — he is slamming the back doors shut as well.

       He has now piled tariffs totaling 54 percent on goods coming straight from China, on top of tariffs of up to 25 percent that he imposed on many imports from China during his first term. More significantly, his latest actions attempt to cut off a series of alternative routes for Chinese goods to reach American store shelves and households.

       Since Mr. Trump began imposing tariffs on goods from China seven years ago, many Chinese companies have poured billions of dollars into building industrial parks in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Mexico. In turn, these facilities have been importing components from China, assembling them into finished goods, and shipping them to the United States.

       But Mr. Trump hit Mexico with extra tariffs earlier this year, and this week announced tariffs of as much as 49 percent on China’s partner countries in Southeast Asia as well.

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       “It’s a targeted effort to seal back doors for Chinese access to the U.S. market,” said Dan Wang, a China director in the Singapore office of the Eurasia Group, a consulting firm. “The result is permanently higher import costs from China, whether direct or through third countries.”

       Tracking Trump’s First 100 Days ？ The Trump administration’s previous actions on North American tariffs

       March 31 Said there would be no exemptions for tariffs set to begin on April 2 ？ March 29 Said he ‘couldn’t care less’ if car prices went up in response to his tariffs ？ March 26 Announced 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and car parts ？ March 24 Threatened 25 percent tariffs against any country that buys Venezuelan oil ？ March 13 Warned other countries that they should not retaliate against the tariffs the United States is putting on their exports ？ Earlier entries about North American tariffs

       See every major action by the Trump administration ？

       Trump Blocked America’s Front Door to China. Now He’s Closing Back Doors. - The New York Times

       Mr. Trump also announced on Wednesday that starting on May 2, the United States would begin collecting tariffs on the more than $60 billion a year in so-called de minimis imports from China that are exempt from tariffs now because each shipment is worth less than $800. That move will add steep taxes to the cost of packages ordered through services like Shein and Temu.

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