On 6 July 2018, the Trump administration imposed thefirst1 round of tariffs (List 1) on US$34 billion worth of Chinese imports amid allegations of China’s unfair trade practices related to intellectual property (IP). Subsequently, over the course of 2018, two more rounds of US tariffs were applied—on US$16 billion worth of Chinese goods (List 2) in August 2018 and on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods (List 3) in September 2018.
The US-China Trade War: Is Malaysia benefiting from “diversions” in US import demand?
Expert

Calvin Cheng
Calvin is a Senior Analyst in the Economics, Trade and Regional Integration division. His primary research interests include economic growth and development, international trade, and social assistance. Some of his recent work has focused on the unequal labour market impacts of the Covid-19 crisis in Malaysia as well as on regional economic responses to the pandemic. His past research covered topics such as the impacts of the US-China trade conflict on the region and the design of cash transfer programmes like Malaysia’s BPR/BSH.
He has published work in international publications like the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) Asia Policy journal, and Japan Economic Foundation’s Spotlight journal, as well as in domestic and international news platforms like the East Asia Forum and Malaysiakini. He has worked on projects with federal and state governments, multinational development organisations, and NGOs on issues including the digitalisation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and infrastructure development in the Asia Pacific. He holds a degree in Economics and Econometrics from Monash University. Prior to joining ISIS Malaysia, Calvin was a macroeconomic analyst at a local investment firm.
By: Calvin Cheng