Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), implored politicians to intervene in the US-China trade war, noting escalating tariffs have cost the consumer technology industry $12 billion since July 2018.

The figure includes $1.2 billion in tariffs paid on 5G products, including smartphones, routers, gateways and servers. In July alone, tariffs hit $1.9 billion, five-times higher than July 2018 despite a near 40 per cent drop in imports.

Shapiro argued President Donald Trump “overstepped his power on trade” in escalating tensions with China, adding “businesses and families are footing the bill”. He called on politicians to help avert a “horrible economic disaster” by passing a law giving Congress more control over US trade policy.

The US is due to up tariffs on mobile phones, laptops and game consoles in December.

This isn’t the first time Shapiro has spoken out: he similarly blasted Trump’s tariff strategy at CTA’s Consumer Electronics Show in January.