Inside the Australian and New Zealand book industry

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New US tariffs on Chinese imports to include books

The office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice that books are among the US$300 billion (A$435bn) in Chinese imports set to face a 25% tariff, reports Publishers Weekly.

One publisher told Publishers Weekly the prospect of a 25% tariff on books from China was ‘frightening’, with the country an important source for book manufacturing—particularly for illustrated titles.

The USTR has called for written submissions ahead of a public hearing on the proposed tariffs in Washington D.C. on 17 June, followed by post-hearing rebuttal comment submissions due in the week following the hearing. According to Publishers Weekly, there is hope that if a deal is not reached before the G20 Summit on June 28–29, President Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping may make a deal that could cancel or delay the new tariffs.

 

Category: International news