 Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China The Republican US president imposed 25 percent on imports from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on all imports from China.
Countries of North America United States’ North American neighbors have taken swift retaliatory measures after the United States imposed stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China.
US President Donald Trump signed three different executive orders Saturday. He added 25 percent to goods imported from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 percent rate on imports from China altogether.
However, the energy imports from Canada that include oil, natural gas, and electricity will still face a tax rate of 10 percent.
To protect Americans,” Trump said in announcing the tariffs, committing to keeping them in place at least through the end of what he declares is a national emergency caused by the US opioid crisis from fentanyl and what he says is unsustainable levels of undocumented migration.
Hours later, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum set in motion retaliatory tariffs while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would impose matching 25 percent tariffs on up to $155bn worth of US imports.
READ MORE: Why are tariffs being imposed on Canada and Mexico?
Beijing was silent at first. Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, reporting from the US city of Detroit, said that Trump’s measures have already triggered concerns on both sides of the border.
This is something that Canadians have been very worried about, and Americans here in Detroit, where I am, have expressed concern about rising prices economists are warning that a trade war could develop as a result of these tariffs and cause prices to increase and possibly force Canada into a recession,” she said.
Steep tariffs
To bolster the tariffs, Trump declared a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act. These acts confer sweeping powers to the president to impose sanctions and address crises at will.
The new duties fulfill President Trump’s repeated campaign promises throughout the 2024 presidential race and since inauguration, defying top economists who had warned of a new trade war with America’s top US trade partners to erode growth both in the US and across the globe and to raise the price for both consumers and businesses.
According to the written order issued by Trump, tariff collections are set to begin at 12:01am EST, or 05:01 GMT, on Tuesday. Imports that were loaded onto a vessel or onto their final mode of transit before entering the United States before 12:01am Saturday would be exempt from the duties.
According to a White House fact sheet, the tariffs will remain in place “until the crisis alleviated”, but without any details about what the three countries would need to do to win a reprieve.
US officials said that there would be no exclusions from the tariffs, and if Canada, Mexico, or China retaliated against US exports, Trump would likely increase the US duties.
They said that Canada, specifically, would no longer be allowed the “de minimis” US duty exemption for small shipments under $800. Officials said Canada, along with Mexico, has become a conduit for shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US, via small packages that are not often inspected by customs agents.
‘Real consequences’
According to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Canadian duties on $30bn in trade in US alcohol and fruit will start on Tuesday when US tariffs take effect. He kicked off his speech to Canadians by addressing American consumers.
“It will have real consequences for you, the American people,” he said, adding it would mean more expensive groceries and other goods.
“The actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together,” Trudeau said, warning in French that it could bring about “dark times” for many people. He encouraged Canadians to “choose Canadian products and services rather than American ones.”.
READ MORE:Â When did Trump impose tariffs on China?
Sheinbaum, the Mexican president, responded with a post on X to the declaration by Trump that said she had told her economy secretary to initiate a response that includes retaliatory tariffs and other measures to defend Mexico’s interests.
“The White House’s slander that there are alliances of the Mexican government with criminal organizations, as well as any plan to interfere with our territory, is categorically rejected,” Sheinbaum wrote.
“If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious fentanyl consumption in their country, they could fight the sale of drugs on the streets of their major cities, which they don’t do, and the laundering of money that this illegal activity generates that has done so much harm to its population.”
