Consistency required in trade talks

The Sino-US trade spat, which started more than a year ago, has never been short of twists and turns, thanks to a series of about-faces by the US administration.

Although the Office of the US Trade Representative said on Tuesday that it is still planning to go ahead with the proposed tariffs on another $300 billion of Chinese imports on Sept 1, it also announced it is delaying the tariffs to Dec 15 on some electronic goods and toys, along with shoes and clothing, supposedly due to pressure from retailers and other businesses.

The decision was made, it said, for the Christmas season and is meant to ease the impact of the tariffs on US holiday sales. Yet most retailers would already have acquired their Christmas stock.