Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum swiftly hit back at US President Donald Trump’s tariffs with their own actions. Meanwhile, China has vowed to challenge Trump’s tariff move at the World Trade Organization as it ‘seriously violates’ international trade rules.
China’s government condemned the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese imports. A statement released on Sunday read, “We will challenge this tariff at the World Trade Organization and take corresponding countermeasures,” reported Reuters.
While criticizing the move, Beijing also expressed a willingness to engage in talks with the U.S. to prevent further escalation. The tariff, which takes effect on Tuesday, is seen as a major step in the ongoing trade dispute.
“Fentanyl is an issue for the United States,” China’s foreign ministry stated. “China has conducted extensive anti-narcotics cooperation with the US and has seen significant success.”
Trudeau announced that Canada would impose 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$155 billion. He said C$30 billion of these tariffs would take effect on Tuesday, with the rest to follow in 21 days.
Sheinbaum, on the other hand, stated that she had instructed her economy minister to carry out “Plan B,” which includes both tariff and non-tariff measures to protect Mexico’s interests. In a post on her ‘X’ account, she also hit back at the US President for suggesting that het government has alliance with criminal organisations.
“If such an alliance exists anywhere, it is in the United States armories that sell high-powered weapons to these criminal groups, as demonstrated by the United States Department of Justice itself in January of this year,” she said in a post on ‘X’.
US President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he had imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, along with a 10% tariff on goods from China. The move is in response to concerns over illegal immigration and drug smuggling, including fentanyl.
Trump took action under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), stressing the need to protect American citizens and deliver on a campaign promise. He stated that the tariffs were aimed at safeguarding the US from the threats posed by illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
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