Trump Launches Trade War With Canada, Mexico and China
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 3 Feb: US President Donald Trump has triggered a trade war with America’s top three trading partners by imposing 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and an additional 10% on Chinese goods on Saturday which is set to come into force on Tuesday.
According to the official website of the White House, the Tariffs are stated to be a “bold action” by President Trump to hold Mexico, Canada and China accountable for their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into the US.
The tariffs are seen as a step towards realigning US foreign policies along Trump’s “America first” agenda with the massive crackdown on illegal immigrants in the US and the worldwide freeze on US aid ordered last week.
In response, Canada and Mexico have retaliated with similar tariffs on US goods while China stated it would take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests declaring “tariff wars have no winners”.
Economists have warned that the import taxes by the US, along with retaliatory measures from other nations, could result in price increases across a broad spectrum of goods, including cars, lumber, steel, food, alcohol, and overall living expenses.
Trump’s radical policies since taking office have shown that the US is no longer willing to uphold its liberal responsibilities of providing humanitarian and democratic assistance to the global community if they don’t reciprocate to America.
According to a report by the BBC, the White House on Saturday made it clear that the tariffs on Canada would remain until it “co-operates with the US against drug traffickers and on border security. It further accused China of playing the central role in the fentanyl crisis and the Mexican cartels for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs into the US.
Additionally, the global-wide freeze on USAID for 90 days has meant a great state of insecurity for both state and non-state actors, especially for third-world countries, NGOs and refugee communities that heavily rely on USAID for basic services and infrastructures.
Opposition to Trump’s extreme policies has emerged from Democrats and many aid recipients within the US itself, leading to a pause in his aid Freeze by US judge Loren Linn Alikhan. It remains to be seen whether Trump’s radical policies can be softened, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday (US time) to address the issue.
