- The US government has received more than 16,000 requests for exemptions from new tariffs on imported Chinese goods, the majority of which came from one small Minnesota replacement parts company, the Wall Street Journal reports.
- President Donald Trump claims that China is paying the price of these tariffs. But companies say in their government appeals that they don't have other options besides Chinese products and these costs threaten their businesses, according to the Journal.
- The ongoing trade dispute between the US and China continued to escalate this summer, with increased tariffs on thousands of products.
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A small Minnesota company that sells replacement parts for cars and ATVs has filed the bulk of requests to the US government for exemptions from new tariffs on imported Chinese goods, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
The company, Arrowhead Engineered Products Inc., has submitted more than 10,000 exemption asks on each of the various parts it sells, the Journal reports, showing how the tariffs are affecting US businesses.
President Donald Trump has claimed that China is paying the price of these tariffs. But in their appeals to the government's Office of the US Trade Representative, companies say that they don't have other options besides Chinese products and these costs threaten their businesses, according to the Journal.
Those tariffs, on about $200 billion worth of products, are also set to increase in mid-October: from 25% to 30%. That's in addition to new import taxes on nearly all Chinese products, affecting clothing and food, with electronics like cellphones and laptops set to be shielded until later this year.
This is all part of an escalating trade war between the US and China. More than a year in the works, it heated up this summer, and American businesses and consumers have already been paying the price, according to figures from free-trade advocacy groups.
Including Minnesota's Arrowhead Engineered Products, these are the companies that have filed the most appeals around tariff exclusions, according to the Journal's analysis. It covers filings through Friday.
- Arrowhead Engineered Products: 10,221 appeals. Distributes parts for vehicles like motorcycles, ATVs and trucks and outdoor power, agricultural and industrial equipment.
- Prime-Line Products: 1,396 appeals. Sells replacement parts for windows and doors, as well as security hardware.
- XCAD USA: 236 appeals. Supplies products like sprinklers, drains, pumps and nozzles for agricultural irrigation.
- E & E Co.: 154 appeals. Distributes products for the home like furnishings.
- Ricardo Beverly Hills: 151 appeals. Sells luggage and travel accessories.