Indignation among allies over new American import tariffs

Japan regrets the American decision to impose a 12.5 per cent tariff on the Asian country "simply because there is no ban on the import of products made with forced labour". "We have also agreed with the United States that no import duties will be imposed on Japan that go beyond the provisions of last year's agreement." Australia describes the imposed import duties (of 12.5 per cent) as "unjustified" and in breach of a free trade agreement. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also criticised the American tariffs. He described the 12.5 per cent duty on goods from his country as "extremely disappointing". "The American investigation did not provide convincing evidence to support claims of forced labour. Tariffs are not the solution — they increase costs and uncertainty for businesses." The US Supreme Court ruled in February that Trump's tariffs should largely be declared void because the president was using an Emergency Act from 1977 which, according to the court, did not give him the authority to take such far-reaching measures. Since then, Trump has relied on another law from 1974. Under that second law, the president can impose tariffs for up to 150 days. That period has now/today expired, forcing Trump to look for a new legal basis. "Trump is not concerned with forced labour, but with keeping his tariff wall standing," says a member of the European Parliament and vice-president of the trade committee in the EP, Kathleen Van Brempt (Vooruit), in a reaction. "In practice, little changes." According to Van Brempt, however, Trump's new démarche does not necessarily have to lead to an escalation, as long as Washington adheres to the Turnberry Agreement (in which the US promised last year to impose a tariff of up to 15 per cent on goods from the EU, ed.). "If Trump does not stick to the agreements, Europe must respond to protect the interests of our economy, our businesses, and millions of workers." Van Brempt therefore calls on Europe to cooperate better with its trading partners. The initial translation of this content was generated by AI. All facts, context, and language have subsequently been verified and validated by a human editorial team. Read more