Canada, Mexico, China Slam Trump Tariffs, Vow Response

By Matis Glenn

Leaders of the three countries president Donald Trump levied tariffs on Saturday expressed dismay over the move and vowed a response.

Mexico, Canada and China – all major trade partners with the US – will be subject to import tariffs under an executive order signed by Trump, with the former two paying 25% fees on most imports, with the exception of Canadian energy material, while China will pay 10%. Trump made the order in an effort to combat the smuggling of deadly fentanyl into the US, and to address illegal immigration – two key campaign promises the president ran on.

But leaders of the countries were not happy. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that the White House’s allegations that her country’s government maintains “an intolerable alliance” were “slander.”

Sheinbaum, in a statement, called on the US to do more to stem the flow of illegal guns over her border.

“Problems are not resolved by imposing tariffs, but by talking,” she said.

It is expected that Mexico will impose retaliatory tariffs on US imports at a commensurate rate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will also respond with equal tariffs.

“We don’t want to be here, we didn’t ask for this,” he said in a news conference.

“But we will not back down in standing up for Canadians.”

Canada will impose a 25% tariff on $155 billion in goods imported from the US, with the first $30 billion to be enforced Tuesday, while the rest will kick in after 21 days.

Trudeau rejected Trump’s assertion that a large amount of fentanyl crosses the Canadian border, arguing that it is less than 1%.

However, in an effort to avoid the tarrifs,
Ottawa had promised to implement C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) of new security measures along its border with the US.

“Tariffs are not the best way we can work together to save lives,” Trudeau said.

In a statement, China said that it is strongly dissatisfied with and “firmly opposes” the tarrifs, adding that it would file a lawsuit against the US with the World Trade Organization for what it calls its “wrongful practice” and would take countermeasures to “safeguard its own rights and interests”.