Potential tariffs on Chinese information and communications technology (ICT) imports could cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars, according to a report released on Friday.
If the Trump administration imposes a 25-percent tariff on those ICT imports from China, it would cost the U.S. economy 332 billion dollars over the next 10 years, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a U.S. technology policy think tank, said in the report.
If such tariffs were set at 10 percent, the same as those recently announced for aluminum imports, it would cost the U.S. economy 163 billion dollars over the next decade, it said.
As ICT products are critical capital goods that drive productivity growth in most U.S. industries, imposing tariffs on them would "reduce ICT investment, decreasing U.S. innovation, productivity and competitiveness," ITIF Vice President Stephen Ezell, lead author of the report, said in a statement.
The ITIF report came after the Trump administration was reportedly considering tariffs on 30-60 billion dollars of annual Chinese imports, mainly targeting technology and telecommunications sectors, for China's alleged "unfair trade practices."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Thursday that China hopes to address bilateral trade issues with the United States in a constructive manner and by making a bigger "cake" of cooperation.
"The two sides have properly resolved their trade differences in a constructive manner over the past 40 years. We believe the two countries can still settle their disputes through friendly negotiations, and we are ready to do so," the spokesman said.
