Trump threatens to expand trade war to all Chinese imports entering the U.S.

has imposed, and threatened to impose, total $517 billion – more than the $505 billion in Chinese goods that entered the country last year. The president says the tariffs are needed to force China to stop stealing U.S. technology and coercing American companies to surrender their trade secrets in return for access to the Chinese market.

It’s not clear why the president cited the specific figure he used. The White House did not reply to a request for comment.

So far this year, U.S. imports from China are running roughly 8 percent higher than during the same period in 2017. If that pace continued for the remainder of this year, Chinese imports would top $548 billion – leaving Trump a bit short of complete coverage of Chinese goods.

The office of the U.S. trade representative Thursday finished accepting comments on the next round of tariffs, which could hit up to $200 billion in Chinese products any day. Many products purchased by consumers, such as refrigerators, spark plugs and furniture, are among the potential targets.

Trump’s decision to double-down on his uncompromising stance toward China means little chance of an early resolution of the standoff between the world’s two largest economies. Additional U.S. tariffs are certain to trigger Chinese retaliation, though China’s smaller volume President Donald Trump announces a grant for drug-free communities support program in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Aug. 29.

of American imports means that it can’t match Trump’s tariffs on a dollarfor-dollar basis. Chinese officials may respond by subjecting American companies operating in China to unexpected tax audits, custom inspections or even consumer boycotts.

“The end game in the U.s.-china trade war has now become even more difficult to discern as both

sides step up their attacks and counter-attacks,” said Cornell University economist Eswar Prasad, former head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division. “Trump’s remarks confirm his intention to continue escalating trade sanctions until China capitulates, and China has equally clearly signaled it has no intention of doing so.”