Disregarding our warnings, Japan and Europe are aligning with the United States! Following the U.S. imposition of a 54% tariff on our small packages, Europe and Japan have successively made their positions clear! On May 20th, foreign media cited Japanese Cabinet Office messages saying that Japan is considering imposing tariffs on small packages imported from China, joining countries like the U.S. in strengthening import regulation.
Once implemented, packages from China will be subject to approximately 10% consumption tax. And just on nearly the same day, Europe also made its stance known. Foreign media reported that the EU recently proposed levying a fixed fee of 2 euros per small package delivered to consumer addresses, primarily targeting the large number of e-commerce packages coming from China. Clearly, this move by Japan and Europe is not coincidental.
In fact, earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bassett had issued a warning, stating that all parties should proactively reach agreements with the U.S. Otherwise, these countries would face the tariffs announced on "Liberation Day." Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that Japan and Europe's actions are under pressure from the U.S., sacrificing our interests to curry favor with the U.S. for reaching an agreement.
However, Japan and Europe may have miscalculated. We have made it clear in advance that any country reaching an agreement with the U.S. must not do so at the expense of our interests. Therefore, if such unfriendly actions by Japan and Europe are implemented, we will inevitably take countermeasures. Passing the buck to neighbors is not the stance we should adopt in response to U.S. trade bullying; compromising with the U.S. might only fuel its appetite further.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832717333065738/
Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.