President Trump Announces New Actions Against China

At a press conference on Friday, May 29, President Donald Trump announced a series of measures in response to his increasing concerns about China. During the event, President Trump outlined “China’s pattern of misconduct,” which he believes includes intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices, violations of its World Trade Organization commitments, and the country’s handling of its COVID-19.

The steps the Trump administration will take to meet this threat include:

• The termination of the U.S.’s relationship with the World Health Organization;
• Directing U.S. officials to review Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges for corrupt or other market-distorting practices;
• A proclamation suspending entry into the United States for certain foreign nationals from China identified as potential security risks;
• Revising travel guidance for Hong Kong; and
• Implementing a new process to eliminate “policy exemptions” that afford Hong Kong “different and special” treatment, including export controls and dual use technology, and Hong Kong’s status as a separate customs territory, “with few exemptions”.

The president made no mention of changes to tariffs on Chinese products, however.

Stay tuned to Connecting the Dots as more information on this story develop.