China tariffs doubled

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He loves punitive tariffs, Trump had already emphasized several times before announcing them.(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

US President Donald Trump holds out the prospect of tariffs on all agricultural imports. "From April 2, tariffs will be imposed on external products. Have fun!", he wrote cynically on social media. He also issued a decree to double the import tariffs on goods from China that were imposed in February, while those on goods from Mexico and Canada are to come into force.

"To the great farmers of the United States: Get ready to produce a lot of agricultural products to be sold within the United States," Trump wrote on his online mouthpiece Truth Social. It was unclear whether the tariffs would apply to imports from all countries worldwide - or whether there would be exceptions for certain trading partners. Trump regularly uses tariff threats as a negotiating tactic to force concessions.

Tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada "from Tuesday"
The Republican has announced various tariffs in recent weeks - some of which were immediately suspended. At the beginning of February, for example, Trump agreed to concessions from his neighbors, particularly on border security, just a few hours before threatened punitive tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Mexico and Canada were due to come into force. In return, he postponed the trade restrictions for at least 30 days. They are now set to finally come into force on Tuesday.

In addition, the announced tariffs on goods from China are to be increased from ten to 20 percent, according to an amended order published by the White House. It is not clear from the text when the new tariffs are to come into force. In a press conference, Trump had previously said that this increase would also apply from Tuesday.

The Republican justified the measure by stating that the drug fentanyl, which is produced in China, continues to be smuggled into the USA. Trump's move comes as no surprise. He had already repeatedly held out the prospect of increasing tariffs to 20 percent - and China had already threatened to take countermeasures as a precaution. 

When the US government imposed punitive tariffs of ten percent on all goods from China at the beginning of February - in addition to tariffs that the US had already imposed previously - Beijing responded with counter-tariffs of 15 percent on coal and liquefied natural gas from the US. An additional tariff of ten percent was imposed on oil and agricultural machinery from the United States.

Soon to be a trade war like 2018?
The two largest economies are threatening to head towards a new trade war like the one in 2018, when Trump also triggered a conflict by imposing tariffs during his first term of office.