Washington (AFP)

Donald Trump fanned Thursday the embers in the trade war against China, announcing its intention to expand the imposition of additional tariffs to all imports from China.

This unexpected decision has immediately plunged markets that fear the impact on the US economy, for now still solid but whose growth is slowing.

In a series of tweets, the US president said his administration would impose "small additional tariffs of 10% on the $ 300 billion" of Chinese imports hitherto spared.

Added to the additional customs duties of 25% already imposed on 250 billion dollars of Chinese goods, this is the totality of imports from the Asian giant will be overtaxed.

However, Donald Trump, who has returned to campaign and has continued to blow the heat and cold in this conflict, says the discussions will continue as planned.

The host of the White House justifies his surprise decision by the fact that Beijing did not consider two very important commitments: massive purchases of American agricultural products and a stop to sales of fentanyl, a very powerful opiate that wreaks havoc in the United States and of which China is one of the main producers.

Yet, Beijing said Thursday have bought in recent weeks more US agricultural products.

Since July 19, Chinese private and state companies have contacted US suppliers to discuss the purchase of a variety of agricultural products, some orders have already been made, said Gao Feng, the spokesman of the Chinese Ministry. Trade.

The announcement of the president has had the effect of a bomb on the markets. Oil dropped by nearly 8% in New York at 18:35 GMT and the main stock market indices on Wall Street went significantly in the red.

The trade talks between Americans and Chinese, however, seemed to resume in a relatively peaceful atmosphere this week in Shanghai.

On Wednesday, the two sides had even reported "productive" talks to try to end a trade war unleashed a little over a year ago.

Moreover, they had agreed to meet again in early September, this time in Washington.

"We did not see it coming," reacted Gregori Volokhine, an analyst at Meeschaert Financial Services who makes two possible interpretations.

- "Thumbs up" at the Fed? -

"This is the usual process of negotiations, this is not the first time" the president puts a maximum pressure on the Chinese authorities in full discussion, he said.

It could also be that the president is "a snub" to the US Central Bank, which has decided Wednesday to lower interest rates but not enough to taste Donald Trump.

"For the Fed to do what Trump would like (ie) to adopt an extremely accommodating policy, the trade war must escalate, the only reason the Fed could again lower rates, "he says.

Washington already imposes additional tariffs of 25% on more than 250 billion dollars of Chinese goods. Beijing retorted by imposing additional tariffs in return on some 110 billion dollars.

Until then the US administration had spared consumer goods so that the US economy, driven by household consumption, remained relatively immune to the trade war.

But the prospect of tariffs affecting all goods has caused market amazement.

For example: the action of the Best Buy group, a chain of stores selling consumer electronics, fell by 9% immediately after the announcement.

"This 10% of additional tariffs will directly reach the American consumer," warns Gregori Volokhine. The president "plays with fire," he concludes.

The US administration is demanding that the Chinese authorities put an end to massive state subsidies, the forced transfer of technology and the theft of intellectual property.

The White House tenant never stopped saying he wanted "a good deal" or not at all.

© 2019 AFP