CTA has ordered up to 846 new 7000-series railcars from CSR Sifang America JV, a Chinese and American joint venture company. The cars would be assembled in a new facility in Chicago from parts produced in China and other sources. According to Chicago L.org, the initial cars would be ready for testing in 2019 with full-scale production beginning in 2020, assuming the testing pans out. With the recent and seemingly increasing trade skirmish between the US and China and given that Chinese rail equipment is one of the targets for higher import tariffs, what might happen to this existing order?
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