Already from Saturday

USA: Tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China

(Bild: APA/AFP )

The USA wants to impose tariffs on imports from Saturday. A duty of 25 percent is to be levied on goods from Canada and Mexico and a duty of ten percent on goods from China, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt explained on Friday.

The spokesperson left open whether there would be exemptions for certain imported products. The tariffs are intended to persuade Mexico and Canada to take measures to stop illegal immigrants and shipments of the synthetic drug fentanyl across their borders into the USA.

Many question marks over tariffs on EU goods
US President Donald Trump has not yet committed to a timetable for the introduction of possible tariffs on products from the European Union, added Leavitt. She did not want to say whether the tariffs could be the same or different for all EU countries.

However, a procedure should allow countries to apply for specific exemptions for certain imports. A US government representative explained that Trump was reviewing the tariff plans on Friday, which could allow for some exemptions. However, exemptions would only be considered in a few cases. Leavitt called the report false. She added that the tariffs would be published on Saturday and would come into effect immediately.

Canada's Prime Minister threatens countermeasures
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, threatened to take countermeasures. "We are working hard to prevent these tariffs, but if the United States moves forward, Canada is ready with a forceful and immediate response," Trudeau wrote on Platform X. "No one - on either side of the border - wants to see American tariffs on Canadian goods."

Canada's prime minister responded to the announcement on X:

Tariffs are a type of surcharge on imported goods. They are payable at the border. Trump had already relied on tariffs during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021. Economists assume that far-reaching tariffs will lead to an increase in prices in the USA