The new tax decisions made by United States President Donald Trump were met with criticism from many countries. Leaders stated, “We will take action too, life will become more expensive for Americans.” The statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce mentioned, “This is an application of typical unilateral bullying.”

The statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce noted that China opposed the decision and would take determined countermeasures to protect its rights and interests. It was emphasized that the practice, which the US referred to as “reciprocal tariffs,” was based on subjective and unilateral evaluations, not in line with international trade rules, and threatened the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties. The statement included, “This is an application of typical unilateral bullying. Not only will this harm the interests of the US, it will also jeopardize global economic development and supply chain stability.” It was highlighted that the US raised customs tariffs on all trade partners under the name of “reciprocity” due to its claim of being harmed by international trade, but ignored the fact that the benefits balance obtained through years of multilateral trade negotiations and that the US also greatly benefited from international trade. The statement called on the US to repeal unilateral tariff measures and resolve differences with trading partners through equitable dialogue.

VON DER LEYEN: WE’RE CLOSE TO COMPLETING THE FIRST PACKAGE OF MEASURES

Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, expressed her discontent with the new customs tariff decision by US President Donald Trump. Von Der Leyen stated, “We are close to completing the first package of measures in response to the customs tariffs on steel.” She highlighted that Trump’s tax decision would be a blow to the global economy and mentioned that millions of people would be impacted very shortly.

CANADA: WE WILL FIGHT Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney reminded that while Canada was excluded from the new tax list, customs tariffs on steel and aluminum continued to be imposed but stated, “We will fight against it with the measures we have taken.” Han Duck-soo, Acting President of South Korea, said that the trade war had now become a reality. He emphasized the need for the government to take necessary measures. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated, “We will do everything to reach an agreement with America to avoid a trade war.” The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that they were evaluating all possible steps for ensuring reciprocity. It was mentioned that the decision was met with regret.

“INCREASED COSTS FOR AMERICANS” Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese conveyed that the logic behind the tax decision of the Washington administration was not sound. He used the expression, “With the tax, costs will increase for Americans.” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated, “We will continue to protect Spanish companies and employees.” UNITED STATES TO APPLY 34% CUSTOMS TARIFF ON CHINA President Donald Trump announced that starting tomorrow, the US would impose reciprocal tariffs on other countries, considering basic tariff rates over 10%, customs tariffs, and varying customs rates based on “monetary non-tariff barriers and fraudulent forms in trade,” along with other countries. As a part of this, in addition to a 10% basic tariff, an additional 24% “reciprocal tariff” would be introduced against China, resulting in a total of 34% additional customs tariff. The new tariffs will be implemented with the 10% basic tariff on April 5 and the 24% additional tariff on April 9. On February 1, President Trump had signed a decree imposing a 10% customs tariff on imports from China, which came into effect on February 4. On March 4, Trump increased the customs tariffs on China from 10% to 20% with an amendment to the previous decree. The Beijing administration responded to Trump’s tariff increases with additional customs tariffs on certain imported products from the US and sanctions on American companies.