9 July 2024

Starmer Will Have To Walk a U.S.-China Tightrope

BRANDON BARFORD AND SAM HOGG

Later this year, the U.K. and the U.S. could both have new leaders: Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Donald Trump. The “special relationship” between the two countries will then enter a new, likely strained period, and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will figure in the tensions between Washington and London.

So, what should U.K. policymakers and investors be considering ahead of all this?

Trump has been clear that on trade he wants to confront China directly, and that he’d like to accelerate the U.S.’s decoupling from China’s economy for both economic and national security reasons. This includes revoking China’s “most favored nation” status, adopting a four-year plan to phase out Chinese imports of essential goods, restricting outbound investment in China, as well as Chinese investment in the U.S.

Trump also plans to impose a “universal tariff” of 10 percent on goods imported to the U.S., which will likely apply to free trade agreement (FTA) partners and allies including the U.K. Tariffs on Chinese imports will be at least 60 percent, with current U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent tariff announcement spurring Trump on. And he will use these tariffs to demonstrate his readiness to protect U.S. workers — and to force other nations to the negotiating table.

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