‘Happening by Friend and Foe’: Trump on Reciprocal Tariffs Against India, China to Kick in on April 2- wna24

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans to impose reciprocal tariffs starting April 2 on many of America’s trading partners, including India, China, for “unfair trade policies” that disadvantage American businesses.

Earlier, there were speculations that Trump might ease tariffs on countries but this move is a direct response to what he sees as long-standing inequities in global trade.

The announcement follows the imposition of new tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, along with a significant hike in tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump’s new tariffs, including a 25 per cent levy on imports from Mexico and Canada, and a doubling of tariffs on Chinese products to 20 percent, have already sparked retaliatory measures from the US’s three largest trading partners.

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The US President stressed that America has faced an imbalance in tariffs for decades.

“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades, and now it is our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It is very unfair,” he said.

Speaking further, he said, “India charges us tariffs higher than 100 per cent, China’s average tariff on our products is twice what we charge them and South Korea’s average tariff is four times higher. This is happening by friends and foe. The system is not fair to the US; it never was. On April 2, reciprocal tariffs kick in. Whatever they tax us, we will tax them,” noting that he did not want to announce on April 1 since it is April Fool’s Day.

The President further emphasised that if other countries continue to block US goods through non-monetary tariffs, the US would respond with similar non-monetary barriers.

“We will take in trillions of dollars and create jobs like never before. We’ve been ripped off by every country on earth for decades, and we will not let that happen any longer.”

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In February, Trump had instructed his administration to investigate plans for reciprocal tariffs on all the US’s trading partners, with results expected by April 1. On the campaign trail, Trump had made clear his intention to tackle unfair trade practices, especially from major global players.

Following the announcement of new tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to impose tariffs on over $100 billion worth of US goods over 21 days. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated her country would retaliate with tariffs starting on Sunday. Meanwhile, China responded by imposing tariffs of up to 15 percent on American farm exports and increasing export restrictions on US companies.

Trump’s aggressive stance on tariffs and trade imbalances signals a major shift in US foreign policy, with an emphasis on addressing what he views as unfair practices that have long benefited other nations at the expense of American workers and businesses. As April 2 approaches, the world will watch closely to see how these new measures will affect global trade dynamics.