On July 14 local time, US President Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: "If an agreement is not reached within 50 days, the US will impose very severe tariffs on Russia, as high as 100%, which can be called a second tariff." The Middle East is a second tariff, not a tariff for sanctions against Russia, not a tariff on Russia, but rather a tariff on those who do business with Russia. This is the US having no more options, trying to force Russia and Ukraine to talk; if they fail, it will impose a second tariff of 100% on Russia. Russia's exports to the US are mainly oil, fertilizers, and metals, which are too small to be negligible. However, Russia's exports to China amount to 120 billion USD, which is 40-50 times that of its exports to the US. However, the second tariff that Trump threatens to implement cannot be collected either, such as when Myanmar purchases Russian weapons, how to collect the tariff from Myanmar. Moreover, if the US dares to impose a second tariff sanction on China, India, and other countries, then China and the US would both add 100% tariffs, banning the export of rare earths to the US, and everything would return to the early stage of the trade war. If Trump could collect 100% tariffs from China, he would have done so long ago without needing this excuse of Russia. Trump's current tactics can only scare people once, and after several times, everyone will look at it as a joke. If the US really implements the second sanction, Americans' daily lives would be affected, as major US stores stock up for at least four months. Not only China, but India will definitely retaliate, and US companies will also stop exporting. However, the main trade between China and Russia does not go through sea routes, 95% of it is directly settled in RMB and rubles. Therefore, even if the US increases the tariff to 10,000%, it would be almost useless. It's funny that many of the strategic resources related to nuclear power in the US are still imported from Russia. Trump's current actions probably mean that he really has no more options. China and India indeed don't fear the US, but the complexity lies in Europe, where many countries purchase Russian energy, and after the rise in energy prices, whether the US itself can bear it is also a problem. So this matter is not that simple, and if it were feasible, the US would have done it long ago.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837650219963392/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.