My guess is that this is for the economy outside of China when the world economically turns on them after they stomp HK to the ground.
If and when, companies will flee China like nothing anyone has seen. Easing in these imports through the rest of the year looks more like a wise defensive move.
Saying the real reasons outright now could cause market panic. I don’t think the average person is thinking about how serious this thing really is.
“Saying the real reasons outright now could cause market panic.”
You don’t have a problem with the President fabricating a story so as to avoid (probably temporary) turbulence in the financial markets?