Walmart sent a letter to the Trump administration about two weeks ago asking it to reconsider new tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.

In a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer seen by Business Insider, the retailer reportedly said the immediate impact of the fresh tariffs "will be to raise prices on consumers and tax American business and manufacturers."

The letter did not succeed, with the tariffs announced this past Monday.

Walmart, the largest US retailer, is sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump's trade war, saying it is "very concerned" about the impacts the newly announced tariffs may have on American consumers.

In a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer seen by Business Insider, the company — which employs 2.3 million people worldwide, including 1.5 million in the US — said the immediate impact of the fresh tariffs "will be to raise prices on consumers and tax American business and manufacturers."

"As the largest retailer in the United States and a major buyer of U.S. manufactured goods, we are very concerned about the impacts these tariffs would have on our business, our customers, our suppliers and the U.S. economy as a whole," Walmart wrote.

The letter — sent about two weeks ago — Walmart asked Lighthizer and the Trump administration to reconsider putting tariffs on Chinese-made consumer goods including Christmas lights, shampoo, dog food, luggage, mattresses, handbags, backpacks, vacuum cleaners, bicycles, cooking grills, cable cords, and air conditioners.

The letter did not achieve that goal, with the administration pushing forward earlier this week with the imposition of tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, affecting more than 5,000 products. When those tariffs are implemented, tariffs, which function as taxes, will have been imposed on roughly half of US imports from China as part of the Trump administration's move to pressure China into changing some of its trade practices.

"For months, we have urged China to change these unfair practices, and give fair and reciprocal treatment to American companies," Trump said in a statement on Monday.

"We have been very clear about the type of changes that need to be made, and we have given China every opportunity to treat us more fairly. But, so far, China has been unwilling to change its practices."

He added: "As president, it is my duty to protect the interests of working men and women, farmers, ranchers, businesses, and our country itself."

In its letter, Walmart also warned of the ways businesses could deal with the tariffs. It is effectively a choice between increasing prices for customers or taking a hit to their profits by absorbing the increased costs themselves.

"Either consumers will pay more, suppliers will receive less, retail margins will be lower, or consumers will buy fewer products or forego purchases altogether," Walmart said.

Here's a timeline of the US-China trade war so far: