US slaps new tariffs on 60 trading partners
A new wave of US tariffs targeting 60 trading partners took effect Friday, replacing an expiring global duty rolled out by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
The levies range from 10 percent to 12.5 percent and impact major economies like China, India, and the European Union.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the targeted economies represent the majority of US trade.
The Trump administration has moved swiftly to rebuild the president’s tariff wall after the Supreme Court struck down a host of his duties in February — dealing a blow to his ability to unleash steep levies at will.
After the setback, Trump tapped different authorities to reimpose a 10-percent tariff on imports. But this only lasted 150 days and expired Friday.
The volley of new duties, initially proposed in June, now takes its place.
The measures were planned after a months-long investigation and are considered more resistant to legal challenges than earlier moves.
Under Thursday’s announcement, economies that have implemented a forced labor import prohibition or committed to do so are hit with the lower 10-percent rate. They include Canada, the EU, India, and the United Kingdom.
China, Japan, South Korea, and dozens of others were deemed to deserve the higher 12.5 percent tariff.
But the EU, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland receive some relief in line with trade pacts they previously reached with the US.
Swift condemnation
The new levies received swift condemnation from target countries, with Japan saying it “regrets” the duties and Australia’s trade minister calling them “unjustified.”
Goods already facing sector-specific tariffs—like steel and aluminum—will not be impacted.
Certain energy products and fertilizers will be exempt too, alongside products covered by the US-Mexico-Canada free trade pact, a US official told reporters.
Washington is separately investigating 16 economies over excess industrial capacity, in probes that could lead to additional duties.
The latest salvo comes shortly after a 25-percent tariff took effect on various Brazilian goods, as Washington accused the Latin American giant of unfair trade practices.
This week, Trump also ordered new 50-percent tariffs on many Canadian products, citing Ottawa’s “discriminatory treatment” of American alcohol, automobile, and dairy products.
