The tariffs imposed by President Trump have claimed more jobs, this time at a consumer-electronics manufacturing plant in South Carolina.

Element Electronics blamed tariffs on Chinese imports for its decision to shut down its manufacturing facilities in Winnsboro, SC, a town located about 30 miles north of the state’s capital. The plant, which makes Element TVs, will maintain a skeleton crew of eight workers, as it hopes the shutdown will be temporary.

The news is especially hard for Winnsboro and its surrounding communities because of recent job losses in the area, including the shuttering of a Walmart store, the closing of a textile mill, and the cancellation of plans to construct two nuclear reactors.

Element notified the state’s Department of Employment about its plans, according to Columbia-based The State newspaper, which first reported on the plant’s closing. In its notification, Element stated, “The layoff and closure is a result of the new tariffs that were recently and unexpectedly imposed on many goods imported from China, including the key television components used in our assembly operations in Winnsboro.”

In June, America’s largest nail manufacturer, Mid-Continent Nail, became the first company to lay off workers and cite tariffs as the reason. The company made nails with steel imported from Mexico. In early July, Washington-based REC Silicon, which makes polysilicon used in solar panels, laid off 100 employees as “a direct result of the ongoing solar-trade dispute between China and the US.”

Other companies and industry groups have warned that higher tariffs will lead to more job losses. The Solar Energy Industries Association estimated that another 23,000 jobs in the solar industry could be lost. And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has argued that Trump’s trade actions could lead to 2.6 million American job losses in total.

Volvo is considering slashing jobs at its own manufacturing facility in Ridgeville, SC, after having just opened the plant in June. General Motors and BMW sent letters to the Commerce Department stating their concerns about higher job prices and lower production.

Harley-Davidson has also said it would move production of its Europe-bound vehicles offshore in response to a 31% tariff that the European Union imposed, which was itself retaliation against Trump’s tariffs on European steel.

Despite the closing of Element’s plant in South Carolina, Trump is pushing ahead with the imposition of new tariffs. The AP reported last Tuesday that the Trump administration will go ahead with tariffs on $16 billion in Chinese imports beginning on August 23.

中美贸易战还没打完两个回合，就已导致了不少美国工人失去饭碗，这次倒霉的是一家南加州的消费电子产品工厂。

这家名叫Element Electronics的工厂坐落在南加州的温斯伯勒，一个位于南加州首府北边仅30英里的小城。该公司表示，之所以决定关闭生产设施，完全是受特朗普对华加征关税的影响。该公司将保留8名骨干员工，以期未来恢复生产。

对于温斯伯勒及其附近地区来说，Element Electronics停产的消息不啻于雪上加霜。最近该地区的失业愈演愈烈，已经有一家沃尔玛超市和一家纺织厂先后关门停产。在当地建造两个核电反应堆的计划也已告吹。

据当地媒体报道，Element Electronics向南加州劳动局报告了它的停产计划：“此次裁员和停产，是近期美国突然对从中国进口的大量商品加征关税导致的，这些商品包括了温斯伯勒工厂装配业务所需的电视机的关键零部件。”

今年6月，美国最大的钉子生产商Mid-Continent Nail成了第一家因为遭受中美贸易战冲击而裁员的企业。该公司目前所用的钢材主要进口自墨西哥。今年7月初，华盛顿的REC Silicon由于“遭受中美贸易争端的直接影响”，也解雇了100名员工。这家公司主要生产太阳能电池板使用的多晶硅。

还有一些企业和行业集团也发布警告称，美国提高对华进口关税将进一步加剧国内失业情况。据美国太阳能行业协会预计，美国太阳能行业或将损失23,000个工作岗位。美国商会则表示，特朗普发起的贸易战或将导致美国损失260万个工作岗位。

沃尔沃汽车公司今年6月刚刚在南加州的里奇维尔建立了一个生产工厂，目前已经开始考虑在该工厂裁员。通用汽车、宝马等汽车企业也向美国商务部致函，表达了他们对工资上涨和生产力下降等现象的担忧。

哈雷戴维森公司也表示，自特朗普对欧盟钢铁加征关税后，欧盟也对美国机动车加征了31%的进口关税。因此该公司不得不将面向欧洲市场的汽车业务转移到海外生产。

尽管南加州的Element Electronics停产了，特朗普还在力推加征新的关税。据美联社上周二报道，从8月23日起，特朗普政府将继续对价值160亿美元的中国商品加征进口关税。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎