Business groups urge Trump to pull back on China tariffs

About 150 business trade groups signed a joint letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Thursday urging that the Trump administration not go ahead with planned tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. The administration is reportedly planning on instituting them as early as next week.

“Continuing the tit-for-tat tariff escalation with China only serves to expand the harm to more U.S. economic interests, including farmers, families, businesses, and workers,” the groups said in the letter. “Unilaterally imposing tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars in goods invites retaliation and has not resulted in meaningful negotiations or concessions.”