The United States prepared Thursday to impose tariffs upon Chinese goods, a long-threatened move that is expected to prompt Beijing to retaliate against American products and to plunge the two countries into a costly and increasingly unpredictable trade war.
U.S. customs officers will begin imposing duties on $34 billion in Chinese goods beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Chinese officials have said they will respond with equivalent action against a range of American goods, including pork, poultry, soybeans and corn, and President Trump last month vowed to hit an additional $200 billion in Chinese goods if Beijing did so.
