【203-204】China Reacts to US Tariffs on Chinese Products

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*【203】AS IT IS

China Reacts to US Tariffs on Chinese Products

July 06, 2018

A Chinese national flag at Tiananmen Square flutters against the capital city tallest skyscraper China Zun Tower under construction at the Central Business District in Beijing Thursday, June 14, 2018.

China says that it has been "forced to take a necessary counterattack" against the United States because of recent U.S. import taxes on Chinese products.

The U.S. government recently placed tariffs on Chinese imports worth about $34 billion.

American President Donald Trump approved import taxes of 25 percent on more than 800 Chinese products. The tariffs began Friday.

China criticized, what it called, "trade bullying" and warned the tariffs could start worldwide market unrest.

The Chinese government also warned it would react immediately and strongly to new tariffs.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said Friday the Chinese side promised not to act first. But it said that in order to defend the central interests of the country and people it was forced to make a necessary counterattack.

A Ford Mustang is seen at a dealership in Beijing on July 6, 2018.

Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters Thursday that China will not back down to threats. He also noted that about $20 billion of the goods that will be subject to the U.S. tariffs are supported by foreign investors, including many from the United States.

Trump has threatened tariffs on an additional $450 billion worth of Chinese goods if China continues with its promise of tariffs on U.S. exports.

Growing trade tension worries some top officials of the U.S. central bank. They are concerned trade disputes will prevent investment that supports economic growth. The concerns were made public Wednesday in notes from the most recent policy discussion by leaders of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Customers shop for pork at a supermarket in Beijing, Friday, March 23, 2018.

China warns travelers

The Chinese embassy in Washington has warned its citizens of traveling to the United States as trade tensions intensify.

Chinese tourists were warned of issues such as high medical costs, the possibility of gun violence and robberies, seizures by border agents and natural disasters.

"Public security in the United States is not good," the embassy said, in a statement last week.

On Tuesday, reporters asked China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, if the timing of China's travel warning was politically influenced. Kang said the embassy was required to issue the alert because the summer is the high point of the travel season for Chinese people visiting the United States.

China often issues warnings for Chinese travelers, usually in areas suffering from war or other problems.

But some foreign governments have accused China of actions such as limiting tourism among Chinese to settle political or trade disputes. China denies these accusations.

The United Nations reported last year that, since 2012, China has led the world in the number of tourists who travel to other countries. The U.N. said Chinese tourists spent $261 billion in foreign countries in 2016. That is more than twice the amount that travelers from the U.S. spent.

Joyce Huang wrote this story for VOANews.com Phil Dierking adapted the story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Would a trade war affect your feelings about traveling to the U.S.? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

bully - n. someone who frightens, hurts, or threatens smaller or weaker people

counterattack - n. an attack that is made in response to an attack by an enemy or opponent

tariff - n. an attack that is made in response to an attack by an enemy or opponent

tourists - n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

*【204】AS IT IS

The Biggest Jersey Winners of World Cup 2018

July 06, 2018

A fan holds up jerseys with the name of Argentina's Lionel Messi before a match between France and Argentina, at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, Saturday, June 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

The 2018 FIFA World Cup continues to produce excitement and some major upsetsfor soccer fans worldwide.

No matter which team you favor, there are likely to be ups and downs throughout the competition. But the biggest World Cup winners seem to always be the sellers of football jerseys.

Two of the world’s biggest jersey manufacturers are American-based Nike and Germany’s Adidas.

A child wears a jersey of the Colombia's national soccer team prior to the start of the group H match between Poland and Colombia at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Adidas chief Kasper Rorsted predicted last month his company would sell more team shirts this year than during the 2014 World Cup. If he is correct, this means Adidas would beat its record of eight million jerseys sold in 2014.

Sales of jerseys and other soccer-related items are also rising for Nike. The Oregon-based sports clothing company is hoping to increase the $2 billion it sold in soccer-related items last year, Reuters news agency reports.

Nike got off to a good start when its jersey design for Nigeria’s team sold out just a few minutes after going on sale June 1. That was after Nike had already sold three million of the shirts in pre-sales. The jerseys cost about $90.

Many fans and clothing critics have praised the Nigerian jersey design for using bright colors and designs in an unusual way. The shirt has a green wing pattern on the front, with a similar black design extending out onto the arms. Some fans commented that the jersey seemed to re-imagine the Nigerian team’s design from 1994, the first time the country entered the World Cup.

Nigeria's Ahmed Musa celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the group D match between Nigeria and Iceland at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd, Russia, Friday, June 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

In addition to Nigeria, Nike also supplied the designs for nine other World Cup teams. These include Brazil, France, England and Croatia. Adidas provided jerseys for 12 of the 32 teams, including Germany, Japan, Belgium, Sweden, Spain and Russia.

Simon Doonan is a super soccer fan and the writer of the book “Soccer Style: The Magic and Madness.” He says his choices for jerseys that really stood out this year include Croatia, Colombia and Belgium.

Colombia's Yerry Mina kicks during a match with Senegal in Samara, Russia, June 28. Colombia's team jersey goes for bold color. (AP)

He said when it comes to the fans, it used to be acceptable for people to wear a team shirt to show support even if it was not “particularly attractive.”

But Doonan says this has changed. “Now guys wear their shirt, but they want it to look cool… and go out to some bar or night spot and feel like Mr. Fabulous.”

Doonan praised Colombia's jersey for having a rock and roll-style design with “David Bowie lightning bolts” coming out from the arms. “Nothing intimidates an opponent quite like saying, ‘I have magical powers in my armpits,’” he said.

Simon Doonan, author of 'Soccer Style,' praises World Cup jersey designs for Nigeria and Colombia, among others. (Joe Gaffney photo)

He describes Brazil's jersey as "a real classic." The front of the shirt includes the team sign, along with five stars: one for each time the country has won the World Cup. Doonan said Brazil’s jersey does not change much from year-to-year, despite the country’s historic World Cup success.

In this June 5, 2018 photo a customer looks at different national soccer team jerseys that are on display at a shop in London. With just days to go before the FIFA World Cup, some winners and losers have emerged among the often wild and wacky team jerseys

While the World Cup can be intensely competitive, Doonan believes it also can unite people the same way a jersey can. He said huge numbers of people come together to watch the World Cup, but with very strong feelings on all sides. “So these things are going on at the same time. It's a sweet thing, because that's just life."

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.

What are your favorite jersey designs for World Cup 2018? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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