In two executive orders, Mr. Trump called for tighter enforcement of tariffs imposed in anti-dumping
and anti-subsidy trade cases, as well as a comprehensive review of the United States trade deficits — measures that reflect America’s economic tensions with China.
The tax would amount to a single action by the United States and would apply equally to trade with all foreign countries — not just China.
Each year, the United States buys $4 worth of Chinese goods for each $1 worth of American goods that China buys.
During his presidential campaign, Mr. Trump criticized China for unfair trade practices, accusing
it of draining millions of jobs from the United States through a huge imbalance.
What really could make a difference for the trade deficit would be if the United States imposed a so-called border-adjusted tax.
Import taxes plus value added taxes — a kind of sales tax — total 27 percent in China and roughly 25 percent in Western Europe.