Notably absent from the list was Japan, one of the United States’ closest allies, as well as China, which was hit with a separate round of tariffs on as much as $60 billion in imports to the United States. But the move caught those who support the tariffs, including the American steel industry, by surprise. The United States trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, outlined the exemptions during questioning Thursday morning in the Senate Finance Committee. BMW is also the largest exporter of cars made in the United States, with China being one of the main buyers, said Harald Krüger, the company’s chief executive. “None of this would be possible without free trade,” Mr. Krüger said Munich on Wednesday.

Source: New York Times March 22, 2018 13:34 UTC