US-China trade war: Trump has a giant wrench for Beijing's auto gears

Sales to US and other overseas car companies are a growing revenue stream for Chinese component suppliers

To understand the untapped potential – as well as the dangers – of Donald Trump’s trade war with China, look at auto parts.

It’s a huge business, worth almost $400 billion globally. China exports more than $70 billion of car parts and accessories every year, about a fifth of which goes to the US. Hundreds of Chinese components, from door handles to steering systems, are embedded throughout American-made cars.
 

For a US administration looking to exert pressure through tariffs, that might seem like a good place to start. Yet the sector is almost absent from the latest list of tariffs levied