WASHINGTON, March 3 (KUNA) - US President Donald Trump increased on Monday the additional tariff he imposed last month on imports from China to 20 percent, citing the Chinese government's failure to act to stop the flow of illicit drug into the US.
"In recognition of the fact that the People's Republic of China has not taken adequate steps to alleviate the illicit drug crisis, section 2 (a) of Executive Order 14195 is hereby amended by striking the words "10 percent" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "20 percent"," reads a news executive order signed by the President today.
The US leader argued that he has determined that the PRC has not taken adequate steps to alleviate the illicit drug crisis through cooperative enforcement actions, and that the crisis described in Executive Order 14195 has not abated.
He added that the failure of the Chinese government to act to blunt the sustained influx of synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, flowing from the PRC to the United States constituted an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.
"To address that threat, I invoked my authority to impose ad valorem tariffs on articles that are products of the PRC," he said. (end) asj.ibi