Chamber of Commerce Not Wowed by Trump's Order

President Trump jolted the markets Friday, and possibly China, when he demanded that US companies immediately start looking for alternatives to their operations in that country. The US Chamber of Commerce, however, isn't sold on the idea, reports Reuters. "While we share the President’s frustration, we believe that continued, constructive engagement is the right way forward," says a statement from the business group issued Friday afternoon. "Time is of the essence," and we "urge the administration and the government of China to return to the negotiating table." Trump's demand came after China announced new tariffs on American goods, the latest salvo in the two nations' escalating trade war.

Trump also demanded that carriers such as UPS and FedEx "search & refuse" shipments of the drug fentanyl from China. Both companies responded that they're already doing so, reports Fox News. “UPS takes a multi-layered approach to security and compliance to identify and prevent delivery of illegal Fentanyl and other illicit substances as well as any other attempts of noncompliant shipments,” the company said. FedEx issued a similar statement. In his Friday tweets, Trump said that US companies were "hereby ordered" to look into China alternatives. Politico notes that the president seems to like the "hereby" phrase, and it rounds up examples of how he's used it before. Trump apparently does so to lend "gravitas" to certain pronouncements, per the story. (More US-China relations stories.)