[Source/Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

On April 2nd, the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" announced by U.S. President Trump have comprehensively "attacked" 180 countries and regions. Among the lengthy tariff list he proposed, even some of the least developed economies recognized by the United Nations (LDCs) have not been spared. The high tariffs will cause unprecedented severe impacts on these poor countries with single economic structures and high export dependency.

According to a report on April 3rd by The Guardian, while Trump was vigorously promoting the "Liberation Day," some Southeast Asian and African countries suffering from war and political instability appeared on Trump's highest tariff list, becoming victims of American trade bullying. What is more bewildering is that Trump even claimed that these countries had "cheated" and "exploited" the United States.

Experts直言 that when Trump issued these tariff orders, he completely ignored the difficult situations faced by these most vulnerable economies. Due to his hegemonic nature, he built the goal of "rebuilding America's golden age" on the basis of exploiting these countries.

Local time on April 2nd, Trump released the "reciprocal tariff" list. Video screenshot.

Comprehensive reports from the latest meeting document released last year by the United Nations Committee for Development Policy noted that there are three LDCs in Southeast Asia — Cambodia, where nearly 20% of the population lives below the poverty line (tariff rate 49%), Laos, where the poverty rate is close to 20% (48%), and Myanmar, which has just experienced a devastating earthquake disaster (44%). All of them are listed in Trump's tariff list and belong to the highest tariff category.

The South Asian LDC Bangladesh also faces a 37% tariff. Sri Lanka, which is dependent on International Monetary Fund assistance to recover from its economic crisis, faces the highest 44% tariff in South Asia.

It is worth noting that these countries are at a critical period of moving out of poverty. According to the latest UN report, Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh have been approved to "graduate" from the LDCs and are currently in a five-year transition period. Myanmar's graduation may be postponed until 2027 for further decision.

Even Vietnam, which graduated in 2023 and entered the lower-middle-income group, could not escape the American "black hand" and was levied a high 46% tariff.

Looking across Asia, Syria (41%), Iraq (39%), and Pakistan (29%)—all severely affected by war or terrorism—are also listed. In addition, Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, faces a 32% tariff, and Thailand, the second-largest economy, faces a 36% tariff.

Given that the United States is the primary export destination for many countries in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, analysts believe that the new tariff measures will have lasting effects on the region, with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka facing varying degrees of economic pressure.

"There are many vulnerabilities in this region, and tariffs will deliver a heavy blow," said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, to CNN. Some experts pointed out that both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, which mainly export garments, will be severely impacted because their access to the largest export market, the United States, will be restricted.

CNN mentioned that India, as a major trading partner of the United States, also faces a relatively high 26% tariff. Kugelman said that New Delhi "had made many concessions to Washington in an attempt to protect itself, but none worked," and can only hope for a bilateral trade agreement through negotiations with the United States.

Dr. Siwage Dharma Negara, senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, believes that Trump's targeting of Southeast Asian countries is not about alcohol; the real sinister intention is to strike China.

"The Trump administration believes that by targeting these countries, they can strike China's investments in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, and others. By targeting their products, it might affect China's exports and economy." He told The Guardian, "(Although his) true target is China, the actual impact on these countries will be quite significant because Chinese investments have created jobs and export revenue for them."

However, he emphasized that although it is unclear how the United States will specifically implement the tariff measures, imposing tariffs on countries like Indonesia will inevitably backfire on the United States. "Some American brands, such as Nike or Adidas, have factories set up in Indonesia. Will they face the same tariffs?"

UN website showing the progress of transitioning out of "least developed countries"

Many foreign media outlets, including The Times of India and Al Jazeera, are puzzled as to why the poorest countries in the world failed to "escape unscathed" from Trump's tariff list: Madagascar, one of Africa's LDCs, faces a 47% tariff; Angola, which has not passed the graduation review, faces a 32% tax; Botswana (37%), Libya (31%), Algeria (30), and other African countries are also included.

In addition, Guyana in South America faces a 38% tariff, Nauru, an island nation in the Pacific that depends on foreign aid and debt to survive, faces a 30% tariff, and Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America, faces a 10% tax.

What is most bewildering is another LDC in Africa, Lesotho. Last month, Trump insulted the country by saying "no one has heard of this country," but today he imposed a 50% tariff on this country, ranking first.

Al Jazeera helplessly commented that Lesotho's GDP last year totaled only $2 billion, yet the United States imposed the highest tariff on this poorest country, raising doubts about how the United States calculated the so-called "reciprocal tariffs."

Bloomberg News reported that the tariff calculation method used by the Trump administration is based on data from the 2024 U.S. Census Bureau. It divides a country's trade surplus with the United States by its total exports and then divides that number by two to derive what is called the "discounted" tariff rate.

This algorithm left even American media greatly baffled: "It's this kind of calculation that leads to Madagascar, the poorest country in the world, being taxed at a rate of 47%. Laos, where the average daily income is less than $6, has been hit hard."

Due to the significant impact on the poorest countries, many analysts question the fairness of the U.S. tariff calculations. Head of Asian macroeconomic research at OCBC Bank in Singapore said, "American tariffs punish developing small countries like Cambodia because these countries simply do not have the ability to buy large quantities of goods from the United States."

Professor Michael Wolf of the University of Michigan directly criticized Trump's tariff plan as "evil." He pointed out that poor countries would suffer "destructive impacts," and the idea that these countries pose any threat to Americans is "completely absurd."

CNN mentioned that at the same time, wealthy economies seem to be uniting to plan retaliatory actions against the United States.

Wolf直言: "What Trump has done is isolate the United States from the global economy."

This article is an exclusive contribution by Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7489019011125002761/

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