Trump officials consider raise tariffs on $200 billion Chinese goods

President Trump is considering a plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on $200 billion in Chinese imports, more than double what he had initially proposed, a person briefed on the matter said.

The deliberations could be a sign that Trump is looking to intensify pressure in the trade standoff with Beijing even if it could significantly drive up costs on a wide range of products for American consumers.

A final decision has not been made, and a number of Trump’s threats toward China have been designed more to bring Chinese President Xi Jinping to the negotiating table than to fundamentally change U.S. economic policy, said the person, who insisted on anonymity to discuss White House deliberations.

If Trump follows through with the plan, it could significantly raise prices on televisions, clothing, bedsheets, air conditioners and other consumer products.

Trump in June instructed U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer to craft a plan to impose a 10 percent tariff on $200 billion in Chinese imports, or roughly 40 percent of the goods that China sends to the U.S. each year.

It was seen at the time as a dramatic escalation of Trump’s trade battle with Xi, as Chinese leaders had refused to back down after numerous threats by the Trump administration. China’s Ministry of Commerce called the move “blackmail.”