Huge opportunity for India as Trump readies to hit another $200 billion worth of Chinese imports with tariffs

President Donald Trump escalated the trade war with China last week with the release of a list of more than $200 billion worth of Chinese exports to the US that could be subject to new tariffs, offering a huge opportunity to India aided by a falling rupee and its manufacturing potential.

As opposed to previous tariffs, which focused mostly on industrial goods, the new list runs the gamut – from consumer products to food to industrial chemicals. This means if Trump follows through on this threat, just under 50 per cent of all Chinese imports would be subject to a tariff.

Here's a rundown of the major product categories that are on Trump's new list:

Meat: pork; beef intestine; rabbit meat; venison; frog legs

Fish and seafood: live fish including ornamental fish, trout, eels, tuna, and carp; chilled or frozen meat of various types of trout, salmon, halibut, plaice, sole, albacore, tuna, herring, mackerel, cobia, swordfish, pollack, whiting, catfish, rays, and more; various types of salted or smoked fish; other seafood including various types of lobsters, crabs, shrimps, prawns, oysters, scallops, mussels, clams, squid, octopus, conchs, abalone, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins.

Non-meat animal products such as eggs and dairy: Whey products; butter; various types of eggs including chicken; honey; hair of animals including human, hog, horse and badger; animal intestines, bladders; feathers; bones including shells, beaks, corals, hooves, antlers, and more.

Vegetables: onions; garlic; cauliflower and broccoli; cabbage; carrots; turnips; radishes; beats; cucumbers; peas of various types; beans; lentils; celery; mushrooms; peppers of various types; squash; okra; sweet corn; potatoes; sweet potatoes and yams; some types of tomatoes; spinach; Brussels sprouts.

Fruit and Nuts: Coconuts; cashews; almonds; hazelnuts; walnuts; chestnuts; pistachios; macadamia nuts; pecans; dates; figs; pineapples; guavas; oranges; mandarins; clementines; raisins; grapes; apples; pears; quinces; peaches; berries including strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries and others; bananas; a variety of dried fruits; peels of various fruits.

Cereals: wheat, including durum wheat; barley; oats; corn; various types of rice; grain sorghum; buckwheat; quinoa; and more.

Mill products: flours including those form wheat, corn, buckwheat, rice, rye, other cereals, potatoes, and bananas; groats and meal of various types including wheat, corn, oats, and rice; malt; starches of wheat, corn, potato, and more

Oil seeds: soybeans; seeds of sunflower, flax seed, sesame, mustard, poppy and more; planting seeds for certain crops; cocoas and mint leaves; and seaweeds.

Sugars and candies: cane sugar; candies with no cocoa

Breads and Pasta: uncooked pasta; various breads, pastries, cakes, and biscuits.

Prepared vegetables and fruits: various vegetables and fruits previously listen in their prepared or preserved forms; various fruit jams including strawberry, pineapple, apricot, and more; peanut butter; various fruit juices including orange, pineapple, lime, grape, apple, and more.

Other food items: soy sauce; condiments and seasonings; protein concentrates.

Beverages and vinegars: water, including mineral water; fruit or vegetable juices and juice mixes; beer from malt; wine, including rice wine; ethyl alcohol; vinegars

Food processing waste and animal feed: brans from processing; oil cakes; dog or cat food; animal feed

Tobacco products: various types and preparations of tobacco; tobacco refuse; cigars; cigarettes; smoking tobacco

Salts and minerals: salt/sodium chloride; sulfur; graphite; quartz; types of clays; chalk; slate; marble; granite; sandstone; dolomite; gypsum; some plasters; some types of cement; mica; Epsom salts

Ores, slag, and ash: ores of iron, copper, nickel, cobalt, aluminum, lead, zinc, tin, chromium, tungsten, uranium, titanium, silver, other precious metals, and others; slag, various types of ash.

Mineral fuels and oils: coal; lignite; peat; coke; tars; various types of light oil; various types of kerosene; petroleum oils; liquefied fuels including natural gas, propane, butane, ethylene, and petroleum; oil shale and tar sands

Inorganic and organic chemicals: chemicals such as chlorine, sulfur; carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon; acids including sulfuric, nitric, and more; various types of fluorides, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates, carbonates, and more.

Fertilisers: animal or vegetable fertilizers; urea; ammonium sulfate; sodium nitrate; and more.

Various chemical products: pesticides; herbicides; fungicides

Plastics: vinyl flooring and other plastic floor and wall coverings; sausage casings; bags; gloves including baseball gloves; rain jackets; machinery belts.

Rubber: latex; rods, tubes, and other products; conveyor belts; various types of transmission belts; various types of pneumatic tires; gloves; gaskets; dock fenders.

Raw hides and leather: animal skins including cow, buffalo, sheep, goats, reptile; various types of leather made from cow, buffalo, sheep, goats, reptile; leather trunks and suitcases; leather handbags; CD cases; gloves including ski, ice hockey, and typical use; belts; fur clothing, including artificial fur.

Wood: fuel wood; charcoal; various types of wood including oak, beech, maple, ash and cherry; moldings; rods; particleboard; various types of plywood; doors; corks and stoppers; wicker and bamboo baskets.

Wood pulp products

Paper: Newsprint; writing paper; vegetable parchment; carbon paper; self-adhesive paper; cigarette paper; envelopes; tablecloths; handkerchiefs; folders.

Wool or animal hair products: cashmere; yarns; tapestries and upholstery.

Cotton: fibers; thread; yarn; denim; satin.

Flax: yarn; fabrics

Man-made textiles: polypropylene; rayon; nylon; polyester

Other textile products, rope, twine: hammocks; fish nets; carpets;

Fabrics: corduroy; gauze; terry towel; lace; badges; embroidery

Headgear: caps; hairnets; wool hats; safety headgear like hard hats; head bands.

Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos: stone for art; marble slabs; roofing slate; millstones; sandpaper; floor or wall tiles; cement bricks.

Ceramics: fire bricks; pipes; tiles; porcelain and china.

Glass and glassware: balls; rods; drawn or blown glass; float glass; tempered safety glass; mirrors; carboys, bottles, jars, pots, flasks, and other containers; microscope slides; woven fiberglass

Precious stones and pearls: diamonds; silver and products made of silver; gold and products made of gold; platinum; palladium.

Iron and steel and products derived from the metals: drums; tubes; pipes; doors; windows; screws; horseshoes;

Copper: plates; cables; tubes; pipes; springs

Nickel: bars; rods; wires

Aluminium: powder; cable; wire; screws.

Various metal products, tools, cutlery: industrial items made from lead, zinc, tin, and more; saw blades; bolt cutters; hammers; wrenches; crow bars.

Machinery, both industrial and retail: steam turbines; engines; fuel-injection pumps; air compressors; air conditioning machines; refrigerators; cream separators; hydraulic jacks; escalators; manure spreaders; copiers; automatic beverage-vending machines

Electronics: vacuum cleaners; hair clippers; spark plugs; generators; bicycle lights; electric amps; television cameras; various types of TVs; video projectors.

Vehicles and parts: axles; driving shafts; gear boxes; radiators.

Parachutes

Ships and boats: sailboats; motorboats; canoes; yachts.

Instruments for scientific or medical purposes: microscopes; cameras for non-art purposes; gauges for pressure, electrical currents, and more.

Clocks and watches

Furniture, bedding, mattresses: car seats; wood chairs; furniture designed for offices, kitchens, and more; mattresses; chandeliers; lamps.

Assorted items: buttons; stamps; paintings; collections of zoological, botanical, mineralogical, anatomical, historical, archaeological interest; antiques of an age exceeding one hundred years

(The writer is Shekhar Ghosh, consulting editor, Indoasiancommodities.com. This article was first published in Indo Asian Commodities.)