There’s white, and then there’s the immaculate ultrawhite behind the French doors of a new GE Cafe Series refrigerator. There’s white, and then there’s the luminous-from-every-angle white hood of a 50th anniversary Ford Mustang GT. There’s white, and then there’s the how-white-my-shirts-can-be white that’s used to brighten myriad products, from the pages of new Bibles to the hulls of superyachts to the snowy filling inside Oreo cookies.
All this whiteness is the product of a compound known as titanium dioxide, or TiO2. A naturally occurring oxide, TiO2 is generally extracted from ilmenite ore and was first used as a pigment in the 19th century. In the 1940s chemists at DuPont refined the process until they hit on what’s widely considered a superior form of “titanium white,” which has been used in cosmetics and plastics and to whiten the chalked lines on tennis courts. DuPont has built its titanium dioxide into a $2.6 billion business, which it spun off as part of chemicals company Chemours, in Wilmington, Del., last fall.
Nestled in an industrial estate near the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Jiamushi Furniture Company has crafted quality wooden furniture since 2002. Its sweeping showroom teems with minimalist Scandinavian, rustic European and ornate Chinese styles, though when it comes to the wood itself, one variety is the undisputed favorite: North American red oak, known for its versatility and distinctive grain.
"It's no secret. It's definitely an open cottage industry in China, big time," said a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss tariff enforcement policy. "It's not uncommon to hear stories of Chinese brokers charging a nominal extra fee to somebody to essentially say, 'Don't worry about it. I'll make sure it doesn't say 'China' on it.' "
China said Friday it will impose new tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods and resume duties on American autos.
The Chinese State Council said it decided to slap tariffs ranging from 5% to 10% on $75 billion U.S. goods in two batches effective on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. That happens to be when President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on Chinese goods are to take effect.
It also said a 25% tariff will be imposed on U.S. cars and a 5% on auto parts and components, which will go into effect on Dec.15. China had paused these tariffs in April.
US President Donald Trump's threat to open a trade war with Mexico sent Wall Street sliding, with shares in carmakers among the worst hit. Markets in Europe were already spooked by news the US would hit Mexico with tariffs in an anti-immigration measure. The main US share markets closed between 1.3% and 1.5% lower. General Motors, which like many carmakers has operations in Mexico, fell 4.3%.
News of the Mexico tariff move comes amid a US trade war with China. Mr Trump announced in a tweet that tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico would be introduced until the country curbs illegal immigration into the US. From 10 June, a 5% tariff would be imposed and would slowly rise to 25% "until the illegal immigration problem is remedied", he said.