Trump’s new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, China begin

President Donald Trump campaign promise of placing 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% tariffs on goods from China officially started Saturday.

The Trump’s administration said the new tariffs was imperative to ensure greater cooperation from the countries on stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used for fentanyl. The administration also pledged to use tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing and raise revenues for the federal government.

“Starting Saturday, those tariffs will be in place,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters earlier on Friday.

“These are promises made and promises kept by the president.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later, Trump said there was nothing the three countries could do to prevent the tariffs from going into force on Saturday.

“I’m probably going to reduce the tariff a little bit on that,” Trump said of oil, saying he was going to bring it down to 10%.”

The United States imported almost 4.6 million barrels of oil daily from Canada in October and 563,000 barrels from Mexico, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Trump has previously stated a 10% tariff on Chinese imports would be on top of other import taxes charged on products from the country.

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The president also said more tariffs were coming, though he offered few specifics.

“We’re going to put tariffs on (computer) chips, we’re going to put tariffs on oil and gas. That’ll happen fairly soon, I think around the 17th of February,” Trump said, also promising tariffs on copper and the European Union.

“We should expect all three countries to retaliate,’’ said Wendy Cutler, a former US trade negotiator.

In the past, China had responded aggressively to tariffs Trump imposed on Chinese goods during his first term, targeting the president’s supporters in rural America with retaliatory taxes on US farm exports.

In recent days, Canada and Mexico stated they have prepared the option of retaliatory tariffs to be used, if necessary, which in turn could trigger a wider trade conflict.

Also, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada is ready to respond if Trump goes ahead with the tariffs, but he did not give details of the plans the nation would be taken in retaliation.

“We’re ready with a response, a purposeful, forceful but reasonable, immediate response.

“It’s not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act,” Trudeau said.

He further stated that higher tariffs would also have disastrous consequences for the US, putting American jobs at risk and causing prices to rise.

Trudeau reiterated that less than 1% of the fentanyl and illegal crossings into the US come from Canada.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that Mexico has maintained a dialogue with Trump’s team since before he returned to the White House, but she emphasised that Mexico has a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C for what the United States government decides.

According to her, “Now it is very important that the Mexican people know that we are always going to defend the dignity of our people, we are always going to defend the respect of our sovereignty and a dialogue between equals, as we have always said, without subordination,” Sheinbaum said.

Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said the two countries should resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation.

“There is no winner in a trade war or tariff war, which serves the interests of neither side nor the world.”

“Despite the differences, our two countries share huge common interests and space for cooperation,” Liu said in a statement.