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France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Higher US tariffs take effect on dozens of economies
As an executive order signed last week by Trump took effect, US duties rose from 10 percent to levels between 15 percent and 41 percent for a list of trading partners. Many products from economies like the European Union, Japan and South Korea now face a 15-percent tariff, even with deals struck with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies. But others like India face a 25-percent duty -- to be doubled in three weeks -- while Syria, Myanmar and Laos face staggering levels at either 40 percent or 41 percent. The latest tariff wave of "reciprocal" duties, aimed at addressing trade practices Washington deems unfair, broadens the measures Trump has imposed since returning to the presidency. But these higher tariffs do not apply to sector-specific imports that are separately targeted, such as steel, autos, pharmaceuticals and chips. Trump said Wednesday he planned a 100-percent tariff on semiconductors -- though Taipei said chipmaking giant TSMC would be exempt as it has US factories. Even so, companies and industry groups warn that the new levies will severely hurt smaller American businesses. Economists caution that they could fuel inflation and weigh on growth in the longer haul. While some experts argue that the effects on prices will be one-off, others believe the jury is still out. With the dust settling on countries' tariff levels, at least for now, Georgetown University professor Marc Busch expects US businesses to pass along more of the bill to consumers. An earlier 90-day pause in these higher "reciprocal" tariffs gave importers time to stock up, he said. But although the wait-and-see strategy led businesses to absorb more of the tariff burden initially, inventories are depleting and it is unlikely they will do this indefinitely, he told AFP. "With back-to-school shopping just weeks away, this will matter politically," said Busch, an international trade policy expert. Devil in the details The tariff order taking effect Thursday also leaves lingering questions for partners that have negotiated deals with Trump recently. Tokyo and Washington, for example, appear at odds over key details of their tariffs pact, such as when lower levies on Japanese cars will take place. Washington has yet to provide a date for reduced auto tariffs to take effect for Japan, the EU and South Korea. Generally, US auto imports now face a 25-percent duty under a sector-specific order. A White House official told AFP that Japan's 15-percent tariff stacks atop of existing duties, despite Tokyo's expectations of some concessions. Meanwhile, the EU continues to seek a carveout from tariffs for its key wine industry. In a recent industry letter addressed to Trump, the US Wine Trade Alliance and others urged the sector's exclusion from tariffs, saying: "Wine sales account for up to 60 percent of gross margins of full-service restaurants." New fronts Trump is also not letting up in his trade wars. He opened a new front Wednesday by doubling planned duties on Indian goods to 50 percent, citing New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. But the additional 25-percent duty would take effect in three weeks. Trump's order for added India duties also threatened penalties on other countries that "directly or indirectly" import Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Existing exemptions still apply, with pharmaceuticals and smartphones excluded for now. And Trump has separately targeted Brazil over the trial of his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of planning a coup. US tariffs on various Brazilian goods surged from 10 percent to 50 percent Wednesday, but broad exemptions including for orange juice and civil aircraft are seen as softening the blow. Still, key products like Brazilian coffee, beef and sugar are hit. Many of Trump's sweeping tariffs face legal challenges over his use of emergency economic powers, with the cases likely to ultimately reach the US Supreme Court.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
China says trade jumped in July, beating forecasts
The two economic superpowers agreed in Stockholm last month to hold further talks on extending the tariff truce. That deal has temporarily set fresh US duties on Chinese goods at 30 percent, while Beijing's levies on US goods stand at 10 percent. The accord -- initially agreed in Geneva in May -- brought down triple-digit tariffs each side had imposed on the other after Donald Trump launched his "Liberation Day" levies on April 2. The 90-day truce is set to end on August 12, when the original duties could snap back. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said following the Stockholm talks that Trump would have the "final say" on any extension of a tariffs truce between Washington and Beijing. Higher tariffs on dozens of trading partners -- including a blistering 35 percent on Canada -- came into force Thursday as Trump seeks to reshape global trade to benefit the US economy. He has also threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on semiconductor imports. Thursday's data showing an increase in China's overseas shipments last month outpaced a Bloomberg forecast of 5.6 percent. But the figures also showed that China's exports to the United States, its largest trading partner, continued to fall, sinking 6.1 percent from the previous month. And imports -- a key gauge of struggling domestic demand -- jumped 4.1 percent year-on-year in July, compared with a Bloomberg forecast of a one-percent fall. Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, said the data showed "exports supported the economy strongly so far this year". "Export growth may slow in coming months, as the front loading of exports due to US tariffs fades away," he said. "The big question is how much China's exports will slow and how it would spill over to the rest of the economy," he said. Beijing has said an official goal of around five percent growth this year. But it has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, as it fights a debt crisis in its massive property sector, chronically low consumption and elevated youth unemployment. Factory output shrank more than expected in July, data showed last week.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
New Trump tariffs take effect, plunging dozens of countries into economic uncertainty
Higher US tariffs came into effect for dozens of economies Thursday, drastically raising the stakes in President Donald Trump 's wide-ranging efforts to reshape global trade. As an executive order signed last week by Trump took effect, US duties rose from 10 percent to levels between 15 percent and 41 percent for a list of trading partners. Many products from economies like the European Union, Japan and South Korea now face a 15-percent tariff, even with deals struck with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies. But others like India face a 25-percent duty -- to be doubled in three weeks -- while Syria, Myanmar and Laos face staggering levels at either 40 percent or 41 percent. 07:41 The latest tariff wave of "reciprocal" duties, aimed at addressing trade practices Washington deems unfair, broadens the measures Trump has imposed since returning to the presidency. But these higher tariffs do not apply to sector-specific imports that are separately targeted, such as steel, autos, pharmaceuticals and chips. Trump said Wednesday he planned a 100-percent tariff on semiconductors -- though Taipei said chipmaking giant TSMC would be exempt as it has US factories. Even so, companies and industry groups warn that the new levies will severely hurt smaller American businesses. Economists caution that they could fuel inflation and weigh on growth in the longer haul. While some experts argue that the effects on prices will be one-off, others believe the jury is still out. With the dust settling on countries' tariff levels, at least for now, Georgetown University professor Marc Busch expects US businesses to pass along more of the bill to consumers. An earlier 90-day pause in these higher "reciprocal" tariffs gave importers time to stock up, he said. But although the wait-and-see strategy led businesses to absorb more of the tariff burden initially, inventories are depleting and it is unlikely they will do this indefinitely, he told AFP. "With back-to-school shopping just weeks away, this will matter politically," said Busch, an international trade policy expert. Devil in the details The tariff order taking effect Thursday also leaves lingering questions for partners that have negotiated deals with Trump recently. Tokyo and Washington, for example, appear at odds over key details of their tariffs pact, such as when lower levies on Japanese cars will take place. Washington has yet to provide a date for reduced auto tariffs to take effect for Japan, the EU and South Korea. Generally, US auto imports now face a 25-percent duty under a sector-specific order. A White House official told AFP that Japan's 15-percent tariff stacks atop of existing duties, despite Tokyo's expectations of some concessions. Meanwhile, the EU continues to seek a carveout from tariffs for its key wine industry. In a recent industry letter addressed to Trump, the US Wine Trade Alliance and others urged the sector's exclusion from tariffs, saying: "Wine sales account for up to 60 percent of gross margins of full-service restaurants." New fronts Trump is also not letting up in his trade wars. He opened a new front Wednesday by doubling planned duties on Indian goods to 50 percent, citing New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. But the additional 25-percent duty would take effect in three weeks. Trump's order for added India duties also threatened penalties on other countries that "directly or indirectly" import Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Existing exemptions still apply, with pharmaceuticals and smartphones excluded for now. And Trump has separately targeted Brazil over the trial of his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of planning a coup. US tariffs on various Brazilian goods surged from 10 percent to 50 percent Wednesday, but broad exemptions including for orange juice and civil aircraft are seen as softening the blow. Still, key products like Brazilian coffee, beef and sugar are hit. Many of Trump's sweeping tariffs face legal challenges over his use of emergency economic powers, with the cases likely to ultimately reach the US Supreme Court.
