Donald Trump has announced plans to impose significant tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China on his first day as president, aiming to force these nations to curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling into the United States.
He pledged a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, with the additional goal of pressuring them to tackle the smuggling of fentanyl and illegal migration.
A 10% tariff on China would also be enacted until Beijing takes stronger action to stop the flow of synthetic opioid precursors into the U.S.
Trump said the measures were part of his broader economic strategy to grow the U.S. economy and protect jobs, though his claims that tariffs primarily burden foreign nations have been widely criticized by economists as misleading.
The proposed tariffs threaten to escalate tensions with the U.S.’s largest trading partners and could violate the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which Trump himself signed in 2020.
The announcement comes as the Chinese economy faces vulnerabilities such as a property crisis and mounting local debt. While Trump sees tariffs as a tool for negotiation, his threats have sparked debate about their effectiveness and potential economic repercussions.
image credit: CHUTTERSNAP
NZ forestry and wine to name a couple will be hit
A lot of wood exported to China ends up as furniture which is a huge industry
20% on a bottle of wine is a sizable amount