Tariffs—taxes placed on imported goods—are one of the oldest tools in the United States' economic policy arsenal, dating back to the 18th century. Recently they've returned to the spotlight in a big way.

A staffer works in a steel company that makes high-end automotive spring steel in Ma'anshan, East China's Anhui Province on June 24, 2025. Chinese companies are advancing their efforts in new quality productive forces, a new development paradigm, to improve total factor productivity. Photo: VCG

The president has earned a reputation for bluffing on tariffs. But he has steadily and dramatically raised U.S. tariffs, transforming global trade.

It’s a day that many little girls dream of -- getting to try on and take home their wedding dress -- but recent tariffs placed on China by the United States is slowly turning that experience into a nightmare.

China has been a fierce critic of sweeping U.S. tariffs that Trump announced on April 2. He later delayed the implementation of most but China, which has said it will respond with its own tariffs on U.S. imports, now faces a deadline next month to negotiate a deal.

The operators of Chicago-area companies that make such goods as kitchen and organizational products say higher tariffs on Chinese imports is threatening the survival of their businesses.

U.S. seaport operators are asking for extra time to implement pending tariffs on towering ship-to-shore cranes as they expect President Donald Trump's administration to follow through on a promise to essentially ban that vital cargo-handling equipment.

U.S. retailers and other importers that had largely halted shipments in May due to tariffs, resumed imports from China in June, amid truce.

American companies in China are reporting record-low investment plans and declining confidence in profits this year. A survey by the U.S.