Thei United States has imposed stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, prompting swift retaliatory measures from the country’s North American neighbours.
US President Donald Trump signed three separate executive orders on Saturday, imposing 25 percent on goods from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on all imports from China.
But energy imported from Canada, including oil, natural gas and electricity, would be taxed at a 10 percent rate.
Trumpi said the tariffs were necessary to “protect Americans” and promised to keep the duties in place until what he called a national emergency in the US over the drug fentanyl and undocumented migration ends.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum immediately ordered retaliatory tariffs and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would put matching 25 percent tariffs on up to $155bn in US imports.
China has also denounced the tariffs, with its finance and commerce ministries saying that Beijing will take the US to the World Trade Organization, although it stopped short of immediate escalation.
US officials, meanwhile, said that there would be no exclusions from the tariffs and if Canada, Mexico or China retaliated against US exports, Trump would likely increase the duties.
They said that Canada, specifically, would no longer be allowed the “de minimis” US duty exemption for small shipments under $800. The officials said Canada, along with Mexico, has become a conduit for shipments of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the US, via small packages that are not often inspected by customs agents.