By Wyatte Grantham-Philips, AP Business Writer
New York (AP) – President Donald Trump launched Tariff Wars with almost all American business partners. And there is no end in sight.
A certain number of new taxes on goods from other countries are already there – with more in force on Wednesday. Trump has promised higher rates for its more recent and most serious stole of tasks, which he calls “reciprocal” prices.
With so many actions and threats of back and forth, it can be difficult to keep track of the place where things are. Here is an overview of what you need to know.
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Trucks with containers are going through a logistics terminal in Leipzig, Germany, Monday April 7, 2025. (Jan Woitas / DPA via AP)
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Trucks with containers are going through a logistics terminal in Leipzig, Germany, Monday April 7, 2025. (Jan Woitas / DPA via AP)
Develop
What rates come into force on Wednesday?
Trump announced his last price – and most swept – on April 2, which he nicknamed “Liberation Day”, as part of his “reciprocal” commercial plan. In a fiery speech saying that other countries had “torn” the United States for years, Trump said that the United States would now tax almost all American trade partners at a minimum of 10%-and would impose higher rates for countries that, according to him
The basic line of 10% has already entered into force on Saturday. And when the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday, the higher import tax rates of Trump on dozens of countries and territories will settle down-that is to say, unless everything changes the eleventh hour.
The highest samples reach 50% – with this largest rate landing on small economies that exchange little with the United States, including the African Kingdom of Lesotho. Some other rates include a tax of 47% on Madagascar imports, 46% on Vietnam, 32% in Taiwan, 25% on South Korea, 24% on Japan and 20% on the European Union.
Economists warn that direct debits will increase the prices of goods that consumers buy every day – especially since these new prices are based on some of the previous commercial measures. Trump announced last week a rate of 34% on China, for example, which would come at the top of 20% of the samples he imposed in the country earlier this year.
Trump has since threatened to add a 50% levy on Chinese products in response to recently promising Beijing reprisals. This would bring the total combined at 104% against China.
The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a Tuesday briefing that Trump had not envisaged extension or delay for increased rate increases.
“He expects these prices to come into force,” she said.
Do more prices arrive?
As part of a wave of countermeasures, China said it would preserve its own 34% price on all American goods – corresponding to the Trump rate – from Thursday.
Trump was quick to criticize China’s decision-but China argued that it would “fight until the end” and take countermeasures against the United States to protect itself. On Tuesday, Trump’s threat to degenerate the prices of “an error in addition to an error” on Tuesday that “a Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The trade war between the United States and China is not new. The two countries have exchanged a series of tit-for-tat samples in recent months-in addition to the prices imposed during the first term of Trump, many of which were kept or added to the former president Joe Biden.
While China has adopted the most difficult approach so far, several countries have indicated that they were asking their own responses to Trump’s samples.
It is possible that we will see more reprisals in the future, but others have reported certain hopes to negotiate. The head of the European Union Executive Commission is one of those who offer a mutual reduction in prices – while warning that countermeasures are always an option.
Trump could also deploy more specific rates for road products. The president previously threatened import taxes on goods such as copper, wood and pharmaceutical drugs – which are all currently exempt from Trump’s “reciprocal” samples.
What other import taxes are already there?
A handful of prices are already in force, including the Trump’s basic tax on Saturday.
But before this radical tax, Trump had deployed several other tariff cycles targeting special countries and products. Its 25% prices on automotive imports started last Thursday, for example – starting with fully imported cars. These samples should extend to automobile parts applicable in the following weeks, until May 3.
Canada responded on Tuesday with a 25% direct debit on automotive imports from the United States which does not comply with the American Agreement of Canada 2020. They should come into force on the same day as Trump’s higher rates on Wednesday.
And the widen of Trump steel and aluminum rates entered into force last month. The two metals are now taxed at 25% in all areas, with the order of Trump to remove steel exemptions and to raise the aluminum levy of its 2018 import taxes previously imposed in force on March 12.
Beyond samples from China, Trump has also targeted Mexico and Canada. While Mexico and Canada were spared from last week increased prices, Trump imposed – and more suspended – 25% of the goods of the two countries.
Meanwhile, goods that comply with USMCA can continue to enter American franchise, according to the White House. Other imports are still deducted from 25%, as well as 10% lower duties on energy products in potash and Canadians.
But once the two countries have satisfied Trump’s requests on immigration and drug trafficking, the White House said that the price on imports in accordance with non-USMCA would drop from 25% to 12%.
Originally published:
California Daily Newspapers
