Trump win and threat of more tariffs raises expectations for more China stimulus

cnbc.com:

BEIJING — Donald Trump's 2024 presidential win has raised the bar for China's fiscal stimulus plans, expected Friday.

On the campaign trial, Trump threatened to impose additional tariffs of 60% or more on Chinese goods sold to the U.S. Increased duties of at least 10% under Trump's first term as president did not dent America's position as China's largest trading partner.

But new tariffs — potentially on a larger scale — would come at a pivotal time for China. The country is relying more on exports for growth as it battles with a real estate slump and tepid consumer spending.

If Trump raises tariffs to 60%, that could reduce China's exports by $200 billion, causing a 1 percentage point drag on GDP, Zhu Baoliang, a former chief economist at China's economic planning agency, said at a Citigroup conference.

Since late September, Chinese authorities have ramped up efforts to support slowing economic growth. The standing committee of the National People's Congress — the country's parliament — is expected to approve additional fiscal stimulus at its meeting this week, which wraps up Friday.

«In response to potential 'Trump shocks,' the Chinese government is likely to introduce greater stimulus measures,» said Yue Su, principal economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. «The overlap of the NPC meeting with the U.S. election outcome suggests the government is prepared to take swift action.»

She expects a stimulus package of more than 10 trillion yuan ($1.39 billion), with about 6 trillion yuan going towards local government debt swaps and bank recapitalization. More than 4 trillion yuan will likely go towards local government special bonds for supporting real estate, Su said. She did not specify over what time period.

Mainlan