Trade war with China is hurting our regional economy, Ports say

The region's seaports and airport say the Trump Administration's trade war with China will hurt Washington state's economy. And they say exports from the state are already suffering.

The ports say that China has been retaliating by buying fewer Washington state seafood and dairy products, and our soybean exports are down 70 percent.

All this because the Trump administration is raising tariffs on Chinese goods as part of a year-long escalation with China over the theft of US technology.

In a letter to U.S. trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the ports say the administration is right to be concerned about China. But they want to see the U.S. at the negotiating table.

China is the source of nearly half the goods coming into our region's seaport. Right now those imports are still pouring in, with many businesses rushing to stock up before prices rise with the latest round of tariffs. The ports say Washington state's economy will suffer if U.S. tariffs cause imports from China to decline.