Canada and Mexico hit back at Trump's tariffs as China vows 'corresponding countermeasures'

• Trump signed an executive order to implement tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.

• He has been threatening the tariffs on the three countries and others for months.

• Canada and Mexico have vowed to impose retaliatory tariffs against the US.

President Donald Trump's long-anticipated tariffs on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico were made official on Saturday, according to the White House.

The Trump administration said it had imposed a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on China. Canada and Mexico have since promised to hit back with retaliatory tariffs against the US, while China has vowed "corresponding countermeasures."

Economists expect many firms to pass increased costs caused by tariffs onto customers, and several companies have already said they are preparing to raise prices in response. Electronics, groceries, and apparel are among the most likely products to see price increases.

The White House said the tariffs will work to deliver Trump's campaign promises. Regarding his proposed first round of tariffs, an official told Business Insider that "Trump has been clear about his desire to end the fentanyl crisis, and it's time for Mexico and Canada to join the fight as well." Trump has said a tariff on China would also help fight the fentanyl problem.

Here are all the countries Trump has targeted with his trade proposals so far.

China

China was a key focus for tariffs on the campaign trail. While campaigning, Trump proposed a 60% tariff on all goods imported from China, alongside a 10% to 20% tariff on imports from other countries.

Once Trump took office, though, his ideas for tariffs on China appeared to narrow. On January 21, he suggested a 10% tariff on imports from China into the United States beginning on February 1 "based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada."

The Trump administration cited the fentanyl crisis on Saturday as the impetus for the new tariffs.

China is a major electronics supplier to the United States, so cellphones, computers, and games could get more expensive.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, told reporters on January 22: "We believe that there's no winner in a trade or tariff war, and we will firmly uphold our national interests."

In a statement on Sunday, China's Ministry of Commerce accused the US of violating World Trade Organization rules with the 10% tariff.

The ministry said China would file a "lawsuit" with the WTO against the US and take "corresponding countermeasures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests."

Canada and Mexico

The new tariffs make good on an earlier threat Trump posted in November on his social media platform, Truth Social. He indicated at the time that he would impose tariffs on those two countries on his first day in office if they didn't strengthen their border policies.

The US imports many key goods from both Mexico and Canada. Americans receive $92 billion in crude oil from Canada, as well as billions of dollars worth of vehicles and vehicle parts. In addition to car parts, Mexico also supplies $25 billion worth of computers to the United States.

Both Canada and Mexico have since vowed to hit back at the new tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs against the US on Saturday.

He said Canada would impose 25% tariffs on C$155 billion ($106 billion) of US goods, some of which will go into effect on Tuesday and others in three weeks' time.

Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, said in a post on X that she had also ordered retaliatory tariffs.

"I instruct the economy minister to implement Plan B that we have been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico's interests," she wrote.

Russia

Trump said on January 22 that he would place tariffs on imports from Russia if the country did not end the Ukraine war soon.

"If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

According to Census data, the US imported $4.57 billion worth of goods from Russia in 2023, which made up just 0.14% of total imports that year. Given how little the country exports to the United States, consumers would probably see few effects if a tariff on Russia was implemented.

Colombia

After Colombia's president turned away two flights from the US that carried deported migrants, Trump threatened the country with a 25% tariff. He said that in one week, the Colombia tariff would be raised to 50%.

"We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the Criminals they forced into the United States!" Trump said on Truth Social.

Colombia's president Gustavo Petro responded in a statement that his country would receive Colombians "on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals." The White House then withdrew its threat but warned it could be reinstated if Colombia failed to honor its agreement.

Key goods the US imports from Colombia include coffee and bananas, which would likely get more expensive under tariffs.

BRICS nations

On November 30, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would impose a 100% tariff on the BRICS group unless they committed to not creating a separate currency that competes with the US dollar.

BRICS consists of nine countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Pharmaceutical preparations, crude oil, and household goods are the top imports from countries in the BRICS group, excluding China. The Trump administration did not announce any tariffs on the BRICS nations on Saturday.

Denmark

Trump said during a press conference on January 7 that he would "tariff Denmark at a very high level" if the country didn't agree to cede control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, to the United States.

The president has not offered further details on that claim, nor have any such tariffs been implemented. The Financial Times reported that Trump and Denmark's premier, Mette Frederiksen, had a call to discuss the threat, during which  Frederiksen reportedly emphasized that Greenland was not for sale.

The US primarily imports medicinal products and machinery from Denmark.

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