Trump threatens steep tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China – DW – 11/26/2024 | EUROtoday

US President-elect Donald Trump plans to impose a 25% tariff on all merchandise from Mexico and Canada and an extra 10% tariff on items from China, citing issues over unlawful immigration and the commerce of illicit medication.

“On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

He additionally criticized China for not doing sufficient to forestall unlawful medication from coming into the US via Mexico.

“Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America,” Trump wrote.

Trump is about to be inaugurated subsequent 12 months on January 20.

Tariffs a part of Trump’s financial agenda

During the election marketing campaign, he vowed to impose tariffs of 10% on all items imported into the US and even greater tariffs of 60% on Chinese-made merchandise.

Trump believes one approach to enhance US manufacturing is by imposing tariffs on imported items.

He has focused China particularly , vowing to slap tariffs on Chinese imports of over 60% – a lot greater than these imposed throughout his first time period.

Trump’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, would oversee the implementation of tariffs if confirmed. He views tariffs as a negotiating software with different nations.

In a Fox News op-ed, Bessent argued that tariffs are “a useful tool for achieving the president’s foreign policy objectives. Whether it is getting allies to spend more on their own defense, opening foreign markets to US exports, securing cooperation on ending illegal immigration and interdicting fentanyl trafficking, or deterring military aggression, tariffs can play a central role.”

Trump to face pushback from buying and selling companions

When Trump imposed greater tariffs throughout his first time period in workplace, different nations, together with Canada, responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own.

However, Trump brokered the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which got here into regulation in 2020.

It meant items transferring between the United States, Canada and Mexico crossed borders largely duty-free.

His reference to the fentanyl disaster and unlawful immigration suggests he’s leveraging nationwide safety points to justify breaking the deal, a transfer permitted below World Trade Organization (WTO) guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington mentioned neither the US nor China would win a commerce battle.

lo/jsi (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)