This Week in Imaging: Tariff Watch

According to Bloomberg, the United States may be willing to suspend the next round of tariffs on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports while Chinese and U.S. officials prepare to resume trade negotiations, people familiar with the plans said.

The new 25-percent tariff would be levied on printers and copier/MFPs imported in the United States by companies such as HP Inc., Canon Inc., and others, and would likely have to increase prices at least somewhat. For instance, U.S. prices for laptops and tablets will increase by at least 19 percent — about $120 for the average retail price of a laptop — if the proposed tariffs are implemented, according to a recent study by the Consumer Technology Association.

Trump is set to meet with  China President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit this weekend in Osaka, Japan.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday that the United States and China have tentatively agreed to a truce that would avert the United States’ imposition of the new tariff, citing three anonymous sources, one in Beijing, and two in Washington, D.C. “…the truce cake seems to have been baked,” said one source.

Since the trade war started about a year ago, the United States has imposed 25-percent tariffs on some $250 billion of worth of Chinese goods, which has included printer and copier parts and accessories.

This Week in Imaging

HP Inc. Discusses Newly Expanded HP-Xerox Partnership

New Xerox Entry-Level Baltoro HF Inkjet Press Features HD ImageQuality

Canon Fined $32 Million by European Commission

Kodak Partners with TAIGER for AI-Based Text Recognition

New KODAK Document Management Platform with Blockchain Security

Ricoh Takes Stake in Biomedical Company, Will Apply Bio-Printing Technology

HP to Acquire Provider of Cloud-Based Print Workflow Solutions

Imaging Spectrum Opens Epson-Certified Solution Center

Memjet Hires Former HP Executive