Chinese tariffs sure to be hot topic at Washington Trade Summit

SEATTLE — Hundreds of local leaders concerned about the impact of proposed Chinese tariffs on trade in Washington state will gather at Amazon's headquarters Monday.

Among the 300 local leaders attending the Washington Trade Summit are at least seven local members of congress and executives from local companies.

President Trump announced tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum last week.

In retaliation, China plans to hit the US with tariffs between 15 and 25 percent on goods such as fresh and dried fruits, wine, steel pipes and recycled aluminum.

Local trade leaders said at least 40 percent of jobs are supported by trade.

"We're trade dependent we said today, but that's not the right word. Our economy is driven by trade. We've got 40% of jobs that are supported by trade. And so, we really have expressed our concerns both from our gateway but really the jobs throughout our economy,” said Courtney Gregoire with the Port of Seattle Commission.

KIRO 7 looked at what specifically could be impacted.

Every year, Washington apple farmers export millions of bushels of apples to China.

There could also be a big impact to Boeing. China has threatened to cancel existing orders and go to non-US goods, such as Boeing's rival Airbus.

China is Washington’s largest trade partner, with Canada a distant second.

Cox Media Group