Advertisement
Opinion
Why no country is safe from Trump’s pro-tariff agenda
Trump’s challenge to global trading norms fits with his agenda of undermining consensus and punishing US trading partners individually
3-MIN READ3-MIN
2
Zhou Xiaoming is a senior fellow at the Centre for China and Globalisation in Beijing and a former deputy representative of China’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva.
US president-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of 25 per cent tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada – along with a 10 per cent tariff on top of any additional tariffs on Chinese imports – caught many off guard. Last month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum had reassured her people that Trump’s election victory was “no cause for concern”.
Trump made the pledge nearly eight weeks before he begins his second term. Clearly, he was in a rush. Such a high-handed approach could well become the modus operandi for Trump 2.0.
When I studied economics at Columbia University over three decades ago, professors told us that the purpose of taxing imported goods was primarily twofold: raising government revenue and protecting local industry. Apparently, Trump is more imaginative than most of us; he intends his tariffs to address illegal immigration and the fentanyl crisis.
And yet, these two issues are, in essence, about border control. They are largely the US’ own problems and are neither encouraged nor supported by other governments. As such, it would be proper for Washington to appreciate any help from foreign governments in solving those issues.
Select Voice
Select Speed
1x
AI-generated voice