सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Agency. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would impose a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China. He also said he would move forward with plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico next week, citing “unacceptable” drug trafficking.
The latest comments from Republican President Trump on markets opening in Asia on Friday, following losses around the world the previous day, have fueled fears of a global trade war.
Trump had announced a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico this month over illegal immigration and the deadly fentanyl. But the month-long hiatus ends on Tuesday. Asked by reporters whether he planned to move forward with the tariffs next week, Trump wrote on social media on Thursday that the proposed tariffs would remain in place until the fentanyl problem is “or severely limited.”
“China will also be subject to an additional 10 percent tariff on the same date,” he said, referring to March 4. Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, prompting Beijing to retaliate. A U.S. official confirmed the new 10 percent tariff on top of existing fentanyl tariffs, saying there had been “insufficient progress” on the drug issue. The official said Washington should take action against all three countries to address the fentanyl issue.
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on Thursday expressed concern over Washington’s previous 10 percent tariff. “China firmly opposes it and has taken relevant countermeasures,” Wang said in a letter to newly appointed U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jameson Greer.
Chinese leaders are set to meet next week to plan a plan to protect their economy from Trump’s threats. Mexican President Claudia Senbaum said on Thursday she hoped to talk to Trump to avoid the tariffs he threatened.
A high-level Mexican delegation is in Washington seeking a deal. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said officials were working around the clock to block the U.S. tariffs but would respond “immediately” if the measures were implemented next week. Trudeau has repeatedly stressed that less than one percent of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants entering the United States come through the Canadian border.
Trump’s threats have sent shivers down the spines of major exporting countries. Asian markets were in the red early Friday, with Tokyo briefly down three percent.
Reciprocal tariffs
In addition to imposing a tax on fentanyl, Trump said on Truth Social that the April 2 date for the so-called reciprocal tariffs would remain “in full force and effect.” These tariffs would be tailored to each U.S. trading partner. Details will come after government agencies complete studies that Trump has called for on trade issues.
In the letter to Greer, Wang wrote that Trump has called for several trade investigations “targeting China” and urged both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue. Beijing has dismissed US concerns about fentanyl, saying Washington should solve the problem itself rather than impose tariffs on other countries.
Instead of the drug being shipped directly to the United States, a Congressional Research Service report last year found that fentanyl bound for the US appears to be manufactured in Mexico using chemical precursors from China.
While some precursors face international scrutiny, they can be legally manufactured and exported from other countries, such as China. China’s Foreign Ministry warned in early February that the new tariffs could harm counter-narcotics cooperation.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्