Tariffs hurt US industries, consumers

NEW YORK - United States spirits exports to China amounted to $12.8 million in 2017, up from just $959,000 in 2001. But the ongoing trade tension between the US and China has cast a shadow over the otherwise promising growth.

The White House announced 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products this month, escalating trade tensions between the US and China. China retaliated with duties on the same value of US goods.

The retaliatory tariffs China has imposed on US whiskeys could "put the brakes on an American export success story", said Christine LoCascio, senior vice-president of international affairs at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.