Proposed tariffs on Chinese imports, including medical imaging equipment, back on the table

Back in April, the U.S. government proposed tariffs on more than a thousand products imported from China, including medical imaging equipment, in retaliation for China’s “unfair trade practices.”

On May 20, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said the Trump administration was “putting the trade war on hold”—but new statements out of the White House suggest that is no longer the case.

On Tuesday, May 29, President Donald Trump indicated the U.S. would proceed with its planned tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports. A final list of imports impacted by the tariffs is scheduled to be announced on June 15.

“From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and to be reciprocal,” Trump said in a statement from the White House.

In a new report from ABC News, Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies explained that the foreign leaders “are learning to not overreact to Trump’s threats, which are frequently seen as just part of a negotiating strategy.”

On May 16, Kyle Pitsor, vice president of government affairs for the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), testified about the potential impact these proposed tariffs could have on NEMA member companies and the electrical and medical imaging industries.  

Michael Walter
Michael Walter, Managing Editor

Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The all-in-one Omni Legend PET/CT scanner is now being manufactured in a new production facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin.