Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Australia’s Anthony Albanese are among the world leaders who have come out in criticism of US President Donald Trump, after he announced far-reaching import taxes on products from across the globe.
Meloni called a 20% tariff rate imposed on the European Union “wrong”, while Albanese said a 10% import tax on Australia’s goods was “unjustified.”
The US leader’s announcement includes a universal 10% baseline tariff on all imports into the US from 5 April. Around 60 countries – including the EU and China – will also be hit with steeper tariffs from 9 April.
Trump said the measures would “make America rich again”, adding that he had been “very kind” in his decisions.
Meloni, a Trump ally, said the EU tariffs would “not suit either party” – referring to the EU and the US – but that she would work towards a deal with the US to “prevent a trade war”.
Her Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez said Spain would protect its companies and workers and “continue to be committed to an open world.”
Irish trade minister Simon Harris said he was ready to negotiate with the US, calling it the “best way forward”, while Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Trump’s decision was “deeply regrettable” and benefitted “no-one”.
Outside of the EU, Australia’s Albanese said Americans would end up paying the biggest price for what he called “unjustified tariffs”, but said his government would not impose reciprocal measures.
“We will not join a race to the bottom that leads to higher prices and slower growth”, he added.
China is one of the countries deemed the “worst offenders” by Trump, with a 54% tax rate added to its goods.
A commentary piece in China’s state-run news agency Xinhua said Washington’s “rampage” amounted to “self-defeating bullying” and an “oversimplistic tit-for-tat game”.
White House officials said its levies were reciprocal to countries such as China, which it said charge higher tariffs on US goods, impose “non-tariff” barriers to US trade or have otherwise acted in ways the government feels undermine American economic goals.
In Latin America, its biggest economy, Brazil, approved a law in congress on Wednesday – the Economic Reciprocity Law – to counter the 10% tariff imposed by Trump.
The foreign ministry said it would evaluate “all possible actions to ensure reciprocity in bilateral trade, including resorting to the World Trade Organization”.
Elsewhere, South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo said the global trade war “has become a reality”, adding that his government would be looking at ways to “overcome the trade crisis.”
Shortly after Trump’s announcement, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned countries not to “retaliate” and “sit back, take it in”.
“Because if you retaliate, there will be escalation”, he told Fox News.
Noticeably, the US’s two biggest trade partners, Canada and Mexico, were not mentioned in Wednesday’s announcements.
The White House said it would deal with both countries according to previous executive orders, which imposed 25% tariffs on the two nations as part of efforts to address fentanyl and border issues.
Regardless, Canada will still be impacted by the tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney said. Measures such as the 25% tariff on automobiles starting at midnight on Thursday would “directly affect millions of Canadians”, he added.
He vowed to “fight these tariffs with counter measures”, adding that the US levies would “fundamentally change the global trading system.”
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