Nike, Adidas and peers call China tariffs 'catastrophic'

170 companies say in open letter move will cost consumers $7 billion a year

Nike shoes are seen on display in New York. A group of footwear makers said Monday that American consumers will be footing the bill for additional tariffs on China exports. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asian Review chief desk editor

May 21, 2019 07:22 JST

NEW YORK -- A group of 170 footwear makers and retailers, including Nike, Adidas, Clarks, Crocs, Reebok, and Skechers, jointly sent an open letter Monday to U.S. President Donald Trump calling on him to remove footwear from the proposed next round of tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese exports.

The proposed additional tariff of 25% on footwear "would be catastrophic for our consumers, our companies, and the American economy as a whole," the companies said.