AP: Trump's capriciousness has left countries trying to negotiate lower tariffs confused
AP reported on July 12 that President Trump escalated tariff actions continuously over four days from July 9 to 12 — on the 9th, he imposed 20%-50% tariffs on eight countries including Brazil (Brazil was taxed 50% individually due to a judicial prosecution against former President Bolsonaro); on the 11th, he suddenly raised tariffs on Canadian goods imported into the US to 35%, warning that "if retaliated, they will be increased further"; on the 12th, he simultaneously imposed 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico; previously, on the 7th, 14 countries including Japan and South Korea were already facing 25%-40% tariffs (Japan's cars at 25%). The White House's declared "90-day achievement of 90 agreements" completely collapsed, with only two agreements reached with the UK and Vietnam by July 10, leading to punitive tariffs of 20%-50% for 23 countries including Thailand and the Philippines starting August 1st.
A former U.S. trade negotiator, Wendy Cutler, directly pointed out that this move "highlights the unpredictability of policy and hegemonic logic," while Professor Eswar Prasad of Cornell University warned that Trump is "weaponizing tariffs to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," such as fabricating the "U.S.-Brazil trade deficit" to impose a 50% tariff (the actual U.S. surplus with Brazil was $29 billion in 2024). Economic shocks have already appeared: the Brazilian real fell 3% in one day, and the Canadian dollar depreciated 0.6%; Hyundai and Kia in South Korea are expected to lose over 10 trillion won (about 7.4 billion USD). Countries' countermeasures have accelerated — Brazil launched a reciprocal 50% retaliatory tariff, and President Lula denounced "the U.S. has no right to play the global emperor"; Malaysia has held firm on government contracts and product certification "red lines," making only limited compromises by purchasing 30 Boeing aircraft; Thailand urgently opened its agricultural market to avoid a 36% tariff; although Vietnam was praised by White House economic advisor Stephen Miller as having achieved a "very one-sided" agreement (U.S. companies gained zero-tariff access, but Vietnamese exports still faced a 20% tariff), the details remain undisclosed. Researcher Chad Bown from the Peterson Institute pointed out: "Countries' resistance has reached a breaking point, but the U.S. market dependence of 30 trillion dollars makes negotiations like walking a tightrope."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837476642835850/
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