China's Tariff Battle: Amazon Tackles Trump's Trade Policies
Rewritten Article
**The Scene at the White House Press Briefing
Usually, the White House press briefing room is the domain of the US Treasury Secretary. However, on Tuesday morning, it was rumored that Amazon was planning to steal the spotlight. According to Punchbowl News, the online retail behemoth was gearing up to display the tariff costs on various goods from China alongside their prices.
One journalist took the bait and asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about it, but Karoline Leavitt, Trump's spokesperson, barged in. Leavitt mentioned she'd just discussed the matter with the president and deemed Amazon's move as a "hostile and political act."
A Potential Blow to Amazon's Business Model
This act of transparency wasn't entirely alien; the Chinese online retailer, Temu, had already thrived in the US market, boasting cheap goods, had done the same for two weeks. Amazon's business model, which relies heavily on private sellers, many of whom are based in China, directly felt the pinch of the US-China trade war.
The American-Chinese trade war had far-reaching consequences. An estimated 70% of the products sold on Amazon are manufactured in China, with one-fourth of Amazon's own products, such as Kindle e-readers, originating from there.
Amazon Backs Down
Following the Leavitt incident, Amazon released a low-key statement. The proposal to display tariff costs on the low-cost segment of their platform, dubbed "Amazon Haul," hadn't been approved by the management, they claimed.
It seemed the issue had been put to rest. President Trump, ever eager to play down a potential crisis, stated that he had spoken to Bezos, who had supposedly "solved the problem quickly."
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- https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/15/tech/amazon-tariffs-webstore/index.html
- https://www.axios.com/2023/03/15/amazon-tariffs-disclosure
- https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/15/amazon-tariffs-china-00057995
- https://www. Axios.com/2023/03/16/amazon-tariff-disclaimers-never-approved/
- https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/16/amazon-says-it-never-planned-to-label-cheaper-products-with-tariffs.html
- Bezos reportedly backtracked on Amazon's plan to display tariff costs on their platform, claiming the proposal had never been approved by the company's management.
- The handling of data, as in the proposed display of tariff costs, has become a subject of general-news discussion, with some media outlets speculating on the impact on Amazon's business.
- Financial news sites like CNN, Axios, and CNBC have reported on the potential blow to Amazon's business model due to the US-China trade war, citing the reliance on Chinese manufacturers for a significant portion of their products.
- The political implications of Amazon's planned transparency in tariff costs were also scrutinized, with Trump's spokesperson characterizing it as a hostile and political act.
- Despite the controversy, technology-focused news sources have emphasized that the tariff war between the US and China continues to shape the broader landscape of general-news, business, and technology.
