US faces blowback from latest tariff hikes

The United States' latest wave of tariff hikes may have the consequence of further strengthening trade cooperation between China and its other key trading partners, according to Chinese and foreign analysts.

Amid strong opposition, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs", imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

The policy includes tariffs as high as 46 percent on imports from Vietnam, 34 percent from China, 24 percent from Japan and 20 percent from the European Union, according to media reports.