How Trump’s Trade War Went From 18 Products to 10,000

By KEITH COLLINS and JASMINE C. LEE 

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Jan. 22 The war began when the United States imposed tariffs on solar panels and washing machines. Each circle above represents a product on which a tariff has been placed and is sized according to how much was imported last year. March 8 The United States then put tariffs on steel and aluminum, arguing that unfair trade practices threatened American manufacturers — and thus national security. The European Union, Canada and Mexico were initially exempted. April 2 A focus of the tariffs was China, which has been accused of flooding the world with cheap metal. China retaliated with duties on about $3 billion in American products.

May 18 With the possibility that exemptions might go away, the European Union threatened to retaliate with tariffs on $7.1 billion worth of goods from the United States, a portion of which went into effect in June.

May 31 Canada then entered the fight, announcing tariffs on about $12.8 billion in American goods. They took effect on July 1, singling out even more products than originally announced.

June 5 Mexico also retaliated, targeting more than $3 billion in American steel, pork, cheese and other products.

June 15 But China was still a point of focus. As negotiations stalled, the United States said it would impose tariffs on $50 billion in additional Chinese goods, the majority of which took effect on July 6.

June 15 China responded in kind, announcing tariffs on $50 billion in additional American goods. The first batch took effect moments after the American tariffs went into place.

July 10 The United States then proposed even more tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese products. President Trump has said he’s prepared to impose tariffs on another $200 billion on top of that.

The dispute now includes about 10,000 products traded around the world, and could grow to target almost 90 percent of what China sent to the United States last year.

If the dispute continues, it could have a lasting impact on the global economy. Markets have been rattled, and companies have been forced to reshape their operations, raising the possibility of higher prices for businesses and consumers.

For now, neither the United States nor China has shown signs of backing down.