How Asian giants can counter Donald Trump's washing machine tariff

The last time the US used this drastic anti-trade device was 16 years ago

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported washing machines, aimed at stemming the flow of cheap appliances from South Korean and Chinese companies into the American market, may end up a wash.

Targeted companies like South Korea-based LG Electronics Inc. and China’s Midea Group Co. can get around the import duty, of as much as 50 per cent, by raising prices or re-routing production to countries exempt from the new taxes. Several Asian appliance makers, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and China’s Qingdao Haier Co., have US factories that could help ease the conflict as companies ramp up production there.