2018-03-21seattletimes.com

Alcoa opposed the tariffs out concern for its customers in a complex, global supply chain. Also, so far Canada (the largest steel exporter to the United States) and Mexico are exempt, and Chinese steel imports are tiny. Foreign aluminum is flooding in to beat the tariff date. So much for the "easy to win" part of the president's statement.

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According to the Wall Street Journal, Beijing is promising a retaliation that is "measured and proportional." Let's hope one adult is in the room. But these things have a way of spinning out of control.

The Journal story has Chinese sources saying countervailing tariffs would be aimed at Trump's base in the Farm Belt. But these could easily affect Washington's vital agricultural sector, too.

Of course, the big enchilada here is Boeing, Washington's export king and a company already hugely dependent on China as a customer -- and facing competition from Airbus and a nascent, homegrown Chinese commercial aviation industry. If things spin out of control, even a little, Beijing can inflict enormous damage by steering orders away from Boeing. That would put the lie to the "trade wars are good" segment of the presidential tweet.



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