WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered sweeping tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, demanding they stanch the flow of fentanyl — and illegal immigrants in the case of Canada and Mexico — into the United States, kicking off a trade war that could dent global growth and reignite inflation.

Mexico and Canada, the top two US trading partners, immediately vowed retaliatory tariffs, while China said it would challenge Trump’s move at the World Trade Organisation and take other “countermeasures”.

In three executive orders, Trump imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Mexican and most Canadian imports and 10 per cent on goods from China, starting on Tuesday.

He vowed to keep the duties in place until what he described as a national emergency over fentanyl, a deadly opioid, and illegal immigration to the US ends. The White House provided no other parameters for determining what might satisfy Trump’s demands.

Responding to concerns raised by oil refiners and Midwestern states, Trump imposed only a 10pc duty on energy products from Canada, with Mexican energy imports facing the full 25pc tariff.

The White House officials said there would be no exclusions from the tariffs. Moreover, in the case of Canada specifically, they said the “de minimis” US tariff exemption for small shipments under $800 would be canceled.

The moves follow through on a repeated threat Trump has made since shortly after winning last year’s presidential election. Trump set the Feb 1 deadline to press for strong action to halt the flow of the opiate fentanyl and precursor chemicals into the US from China via Mexico and Canada, as well as to stop illegal immigrants crossing US borders.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would respond with 25pc tariffs against $155 billion of US goods, including beer, wine, lumber and appliances, beginning with $30 billion taking effect on Tuesday and $125 billion 21 days later.

Trudeau warned US citizens that Trump’s tariffs would raise their grocery and gasoline costs, potentially shutting down auto assembly plants and limiting supplies of goods such as nickel, potash, uranium, steel and aluminum.

He urged his own citizens to forego travel to the US and to boycott US products.

Mexican President Cla­udia Sheinbaum, in a post on X, said she was instructing her economy minister to implement retaliatory tariffs but gave no details.

Canada and Mexico said they were working together to face Trump’s tariffs. China’s Commerce Ministry did not specify its planned countermeasures.

Its statement left open the door for talks between Washington and Beijing.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

Depopulating Gaza
Updated 07 Feb, 2025

Depopulating Gaza

The least feasible "solution" is the Trumpian plan for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing and occupation, which is a non-starter.
‘Pause’ in US aid
07 Feb, 2025

‘Pause’ in US aid

THE impact of the Trump administration’s decision to ‘pause’ all US foreign aid programmes, especially those...
Mobilising opposition
07 Feb, 2025

Mobilising opposition

POLITICS makes strange bedfellows. There has not, for quite some time, been a guest list as intriguing as the one...
No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...