United States’ three largest trading partners have responded to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the last week of January to impose a 10% tariff on goods imported from China. The latest US trade protectionist measure has drawn widespread opposition and criticism from both domestic and international community. The White House said the 10% tariff is on all imports from China is on top of existing tariffs. Trump says the tariffs are in line with his embrace of protectionist measures.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that China always believes that there is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, and remains steadfast in safeguarding its national interests. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said China’s position on the tariff issue is consistent. Tariff measures are not conducive to the interests of either China or the United States, nor to the rest of the world, he said.
On February 4, China further announced it would impose additional tariffs on certain US imports from February 10, 2025 in retaliation to Trump’s action. The retaliatory tariffs included a 15% additional duty on imports of US coal, coke, and liquified natural gas, and a 10% additional duty on imports of US crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement vehicles, and pickup trucks, among others.
In addition to China, the United States also imposed a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. For energy products from Canada, the administration imposed a 10% tariff. Meanwhile, the leaders of Mexico and Canada struck last-minute deals by offering concessions on border security spending and others, to postpone the imposition of these hefty tariffs on goods exported to the United States, averting at least temporarily a damaging trade war that would roil North America and the global economy.
