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Trump Intensifies China Tariff Threat; Warehouses Hire Humanoid Robots By Paul Berger

President Trump is doubling down on America's trade war with China.

Trump is imposing an additional 10% tariff on imports from China, on top of a 10% duty that went into place earlier this month.

The WSJ's Gavin Bade and Lingling Wei report the new levy will start March 4, when Trump says he will also impose previously delayed 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico .

Trump says the duties are punishment for the countries not doing enough to prevent gangs from smuggling fentanyl into the U.S.

Canada and Mexico have been trying to show Trump they are taking actions to slow the drug trade. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has shown little interest in focusing solely on a deal about fentanyl.

Instead, Beijing is trying to put together a broader proposal that includes reinstating a trade agreement signed with the first Trump administration, a renewed pledge not to devalue the yuan and an offer to invest more in the U.S.

For now, Beijing thinks it can handle the additional tariffs. It is also likely to hit back with tariffs of its own.

Canada's export credit agency has seen a surge in interest from companies looking to explore new markets. (WSJ) Microsoft is pushing the Trump administration to loosen a new system that would restrict overseas sales of cutting-edge U.S. artificial-intelligence chips. (WSJ) Online retailer eBay says tariffs are denting seller and buyer confidence. (Dow Jones Newswires) Mexico says it is working with the U.S. to reach an agreement on tariffs before an impending deadline. (Reuters) CONTENT FROM: PENSKE Gain a Leg Up. Gain Ground with Penske.

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Logistics Technology

The next stage of robot evolution is starting to look a lot more human. The WSJ's Christopher Mims reports from inside a Georgia warehouse where humanoid robots are retrieving bins of Spanx shapewear and carrying them to a nearby conveyor belt .

Agility Robotics's "Digit" represents the next step in automation of processes essential to e-commerce and manufacturing. The device is directly replacing humans who would otherwise be doing the repetitive, physically demanding work.

Humanoid robots until recently have been hard to build, expensive, slow and lumbering. They didn't make sense compared with other, more affordable robots that have multiplied rapidly in the past decade.

That is changing. As global demand for new kinds of robots has shot up, mass manufacturing and falling costs for components are making them cheaper to produce. Now, new kinds of artificial intelligence are animating robot bodies in ways that weren't possible even a few years ago.

Quotable Number of the Day Executive Insights

Here is our weekly roundup of stories from across WSJ Pro that we think you'll find useful.

CFOs are weighing how much information to share about the impact of tariffs , especially as many are yet to take effect and the landscape continues to evolve.

The investment flow into the cannabis industry has slowed to a trickle , pressuring some private lenders that have become the primary source of its financing.

The adage about nuclear fusion is that it's always 10 years away. A startup in Germany that published plans for a commercial nuclear-fusion plant says it may be closer than that .

Venture capitalists typically prefer to invest in founding teams of two or more entrepreneurs who share duties, but a wave of startups with a solo founder is set to test those assumptions .

In Other News

U.S. durable goods orders rose 3.1% in January as demand for civilian aircraft and parts nearly doubled. (WSJ)

Amazon unveiled its first-ever quantum computing chip . (WSJ)

U.K. engineering and defense company Rolls-Royce raised guidance on surging engine deliveries. (WSJ)

U.K. car manufacturing slumped in January . (WSJ)

Consumer-health giant Haleon expects revenue and profit growth this year. (WSJ)

Panama's attorney general is asking his country's Supreme Court to confirm that a Hutchison Port Holdings contract to develop terminals at the Panama Canal is unconstitutional. (The Maritime Executive)

Toyota is accelerating its use of hydrogen-powered trucks in Japan. (Nikkei Asia)

Payments and factoring company Triumph Financial agreed to acquire Greenscreens.ai in a deal worth $160 million. (The Loadstar)

Britain is grappling with a growing shortage of truck drivers . (Daily Mail)

Chinese automaker Xiaomi launched a $73,000 ultra-performance electric sedan to challenge Porsche in the luxury car market. (CnEVPost)

About Us

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at [mark.long@wsj.com]. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long , Liz Young and Paul Berger .

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 28, 2025 07:05 ET (12:05 GMT)

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