France's Macron calls tariffs imposed by powerful countries a form of ‘blackmail'
His comments during a speech at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, came with the European Union negotiating a trade deal with the United States ahead of a July 9 deadline, though he did not specifically refer to the United States or U.S. President Donald Trump.
'We need to restore freedom and equity to international trade, much more than barriers and tariffs, which are devised by the strongest, and which are often used as instruments of blackmail, not at all as instruments of rebalancing,' Macron said.
He also urged support – and a rethinking – of the World Trade Organization to bring it in line with goals to fight inequality and climate change.
'Bringing back a trade war and tariffs at this moment in the life of the planet is an aberration, especially when I see the tariffs that are being imposed on countries that are just beginning their economic takeoff,' Macron said.
Trump unveiled sweeping global tariffs in April in which he said countries would face taxes on imports into the United States ranging from 10% to 50%, though he later reversed course and mostly lowered them for 90 days.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday rejected Macron's characterization, insisting that tariffs were an effective tool to rebuild U.S. manufacturing. She said Trump remained in discussions on trade to aid American workers.
'Europe and the rest of the world might not be used to that, but President Trump is back in town and he's going to do what's right for our people and our country,' she said.
The United Nations trade agency had said the tariffs could have a catastrophic impact on developing countries, with some of the world's least developed, such as Lesotho, Cambodia, Laos, Madagascar and Myanmar, facing some of the highest levies.
Macron, a vocal critic of Washington's tariff campaign, has also said it is an aberration to ask Europeans to spend more on defence while launching a trade war.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
39 minutes ago
- IOL News
Over 14 million people could die from US foreign aid cuts: study
The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a United Nations conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. Image: Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die by 2030 because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected on Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a United Nations conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) had provided over 40% of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then-close advisor -- and world's richest man -- Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency "through the woodchipper". The funding cuts "risk abruptly halting -- and even reversing -- two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations", warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). "For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91.8 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. That is more than the estimated number of deaths during World War II, history's deadliest conflict. HIV, malaria to rise The researchers also used modelling to project how funding being slashed by 83% -- the figure announced by the US government earlier this year -- could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of five -- or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programmes supported by USAID were linked to a 15% decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers determined. For children under five, the drop in deaths was twice as steep, at 32%. USAID funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65% fewer deaths from HIV/AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. Study co-author Francisco Saute of Mozambique's Manhica Health Research Centre said he had seen on the ground how USAID helped fight diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. "Cutting this funding now not only puts lives at risk -- it also undermines critical infrastructure that has taken decades to build," he stressed. A recently updated tracker run by disease modeller Brooke Nichols at Boston University estimates that nearly 108,000 adults and more than 224,000 children have already died as a result of the US aid cuts. That works out to 88 deaths every hour, according to the tracker. 'Time to scale up' After USAID was gutted, several other major donors, including France, Germany and the UK, followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to "even more additional deaths in the coming years," study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal said. But the grim projections are based on the current amount of pledged aid, so could rapidly come down if the situation changes, the researchers emphasised. Dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for the biggest aid conference in a decade. The United States, however, will not attend. "Now is the time to scale up, not scale back," Rasella said. Before its funding was slashed, USAID represented 0.3% of all US federal spending. "US citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID, around $64 per year," said study co-author James Macinko of the University of California, Los Angeles. "I think most people would support continued USAID funding if they knew just how effective such a small contribution can be to saving millions of lives." AFP
TimesLIVE
2 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Fuel price hikes kick in at midnight: what you'll pay from Wednesday
After four months of consecutive declines, South African motorists will face sharp fuel price increases from midnight on Tuesday. The department of mineral resources and energy has confirmed that the price of 93-octane petrol will rise by 55c/ l, while 95-octane goes up by 52c/ l. Diesel is also hit hard, with wholesale prices increasing by 84c/ l for low-sulphur 50ppm and 82c/ l for 500ppm fuel. The wholesale price of illuminating paraffin climbs by 67c/ l. These increases come despite the rand strengthening slightly against the US dollar over the past month. According to the department, the primary driver is a surge in global oil prices, fuelled by escalating tensions in the Middle East and recent attacks by the Trump administration on Iranian nuclear facilities. Fuel prices from Wednesday:
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Did Trump just threaten South Africa-born Musk with deportation?
US President Donald Trump once again targeted former aide Elon Musk on Tuesday, attacking the amount of government subsidies the entrepreneur is receiving, after the tech billionaire renewed criticism of the president's flagship spending bill. 'Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far,' Trump said on social media. 'And without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.' Pretoria-born Musk – who had an acrimonious public falling out with the president this month over the bill – reprised his sharp criticisms and renewed his calls for the formation of a new political party as voting got underway. Trump responded by suggesting his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which Musk headed before stepping down late May – train its sights on the SpaceX founder's business interests. 'No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE,' the president said. 'Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!' Trump is hoping to seal his legacy with the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' which would extend his expiring first-term tax cuts at a cost of $4.5 trillion (R79 trillion) and beef up border security. But Republicans eyeing 2026 midterm congressional elections are divided over the package, which would strip health care from millions of the poorest Americans and add more than $3 trillion to the country's debt. As lawmakers began voting on the bill on Monday, Musk – the world's richest person – accused Republicans of supporting 'debt slavery'. 'All I'm asking is that we don't bankrupt America,' he said on social media Tuesday. 'What's the point of a debt ceiling if we keep raising it?' Musk has vowed to launch a new political party to challenge lawmakers who campaigned on reduced federal spending only to vote for the bill. 'VOX POPULI VOX DEI 80% voted for a new party,' he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 11. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news © Agence France-Presse
