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Donald Trump tariff miffs China, Canada, Japan and Mexico

Kathmandu: China, Canada and Japan, among other countries, have strongly opposed the new US tariffs imposed by US president Donald Trump. On Sunday, China said that it “firmly opposes” new tariffs imposed on Beijing by US President Donald Trump, vowing to take “corresponding countermeasures to resolutely safeguard our own rights and interests”. Unveiling sweeping measures against major trade partners on Saturday, Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports on top of existing duties. In a statement on Sunday, China’s commerce ministry slammed Washington’s “erroneous practices”, saying Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it”. The ministry said Beijing would file a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization, arguing that “the unilateral imposition of tariffs by the United States seriously violates WTO rules”.

“China hopes that the United States will objectively and rationally view and deal with its own issues like fentanyl, rather than threatening other countries with tariffs at every turn,” the ministry said. It said Beijing “urges the US to correct its erroneous practices, meet China halfway, face up to its problems, have frank dialogues, strengthen cooperation and manage differences on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect”. In a separate statement, China’s foreign ministry said “there are no winners in a trade war or tariff war”.

Likewise, Japan has also shown deep concern about the Trump tariffs and their possible repercussions on global trade. Trump has announced 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican exports to the United States. “We’re deeply concerned about how these tariffs could affect the world’s economy,” Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato told a Sunday show on Fuji TV.

China, Canada and Mexico have all vowed to respond to the tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would impose retaliatory tariffs while Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa would also hit back with 25 percent levies of its own on select US goods worth Can$155 billion (US$106.6 billion).

[Compiled from different agencies]