Donald Trump kept his word. The American president signed, this Saturday, February 1, the decrees imposing new customs rights on several countries on Saturday, February 1, in addition to the already existing taxes. As announced in recent days, Canada will see its products exported to the United States taxed up to 25 % (except for hydrocarbons, with a price limited to 10 %), just like those from Mexico. Chinese imports will be subject to 10 % additional customs duties.
“Tariffs!”, Pinked Donald Trump on his profile of the Truth Social network, as if to predict the success of his new aggressive commercial policy, including against historically economic partners in the United States. “The announcement of customs duties today is absolutely necessary to keep China, Mexico and Canada their promises to stop the flood of drugs in the United States,” said the White House in a press release.
Since his mandate on January 20, Donald Trump has been pointing out the role of the three states in the opioid crisis that hit America hard. Mexico City is thus accused of having an “alliance” with the cartels to allow drugs on the other side of the border. Products essentially manufactured, according to him, thanks to substances supplied directly … by China. This story is thus used by the billionaire to justify his customs measures.
Canadian customs response
Canada and Mexico have both indicated that they were going to undertake important retaliatory measures against their American neighbor, while denouncing the method adopted by the White House to impose these new rules. In Ottawa, the resigning Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, appeared the serious air during a speaking to detail the reprisals to come. “We didn’t want to be there, we didn’t ask for that,” he said. As of Tuesday, part of the American goods will be taxed 25 % in Canada. The measure will concern “a total of 155 billion Canadian dollars”, one fifth of American imports in the country.
Fruits and vegetables, household appliances, plastic, construction wood, whiskey … Current consumer goods will be targeted in priority. The Canadian Prime Minister encourages his fellow citizens to promote the purchase in supermarkets of Canadian products rather than Americans. “If President Trump wants to inaugurate a new golden age for the United States, the best way is to join Canada, not to punish us,” said Justin Trudeau.
The manager accused Donald Trump of “raping” ACEum, the free trade agreement signed in 2018 between Canada, the United States and Mexico and then initialed by the American president himself. The situation “will increase the costs for you, including those of food, from petrol to the pump …”, also warned Justin Trudeau, addressing consumers directly on the other hand from the Canadian border. The customs measures imposed by Donald Trump could cause serious economic consequences in Canada, since three quarters of Canadian exports are intended for the American market.
Links between Mexico City and Cartels? A “slander”
Mexico is also concerned about the realization of this “customs wall”. The country, which is just as linked to the American economy, will implement pricing and non-tariff measures of retaliation against the United States, promised the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum. No details have yet been specified on the terms of these reprisals. “The problems are not solved by imposing customs duties, but by exchanging,” castigated the manager, in a long message published on the social network X. Claudia Sheinbaum, who also called Justin Trudeau on the customs dossier , described Donald Trump’s words as “slander” about the so -called links between the Mexican presidency and drug traffickers.
The Mexican Minister of Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, expressed his support for President Sheinbaum, very popular in Mexico. “Proud of its temperance and firmness, it will take us to a safe port,” he said about the leader on X. “Plan B in progress. Let’s tighten the ranks. We are going to win !!!” In the country, the comments of the American president on the role of Mexico City in the fentanyl crisis were poorly perceived. “Trump is customary of this type of rhetoric to put pressure, but no one should act lightly in this way,” said the former Mexican ambassador Agustin Gutierrez Canet, quoted by AFP.
China, although touched to a lesser extent by the new American customs duties, similarly challenged Washington’s pricing policy, saying that “firmly opposed”. In response, Beijing therefore plans to make decisions “for the own security of its own” commercial rights and interests, underlined the Chinese power in a press release. China calls on the United States to set up a “frank dialogue and strengthened cooperation” rather than “raping” the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) through its new customs doctrine.
China has also denied any involvement in the spread of fentanyl across the Atlantic. “Fentanyl is an American problem. China operates an anti-narcotic cooperation extended with the United States and has obtained remarkable results,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Could Donald Trump go further by engaging in a real trade war with Xi Jinping? “China is aggressive, but it is not just China. Other countries are also large attackers,” said the billionaire on Friday, leaving the risk of new customs duties on the European Union.