CHINA ANNOUNCES STANDARDS AGAINST GOOGLE, OTHER US FIRMS, AS TRADE TENSIONS ESCALATE

On Tuesday, China announced diverse measures targeting U.S. businesses, including Google, farm equipment makers, and fashion brand owner Calvin Klein. This announcement came just a few minutes after additional tariffs on Chinese goods took effect.

The measures followed Beijing’s tariffs on some U.S. products like coal, gas, and electric trucks in a rapid response to the new duties on Chinese goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, escalating trade tensions between the two economies.

China’s Commerce Ministry said it had put PVH Corp., the holding company for brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and U.S. biotechnology firm Illumina on its “unreliable entity” list.

It said the two companies took what it called “discriminatory measures against Chinese enterprises” and “damaged” the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Companies added to the blacklist can be subject to fines and a broad range of other sanctions, including a freeze on trade and revocation of work permits for foreign staff.

Independent of the tariff exchange, China’s State Administration of Market Regulation stated that Google was suspected of violating the country’s anti-monopoly law, and an investigation was initiated into the company by the law.