Trump threatens to escalate a global trade war

Washington — Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to escalate a global trade war with further tariffs on EU goods, as major US trading partners said they would retaliate for trade barriers already erected by the US president.

Just hours after Trump’s 25% duties on all US steel and aluminium imports took effect, Trump said he would impose additional penalties if the EU follows through with its plan to enact counter tariffs on some US goods next month.

“Whatever they charge us, we’re charging them,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump’s hyper-focus on tariffs has rattled investor, consumer and business confidence and raised recession fears. He also has frayed relations with Canada, a close ally and major trading partner, by repeatedly threatening to annex the neighbouring country.

Canada, the biggest foreign supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on those metals along with computers, sports equipment and other products worth $20bn in total. Canada has already imposed tariffs worth a similar amount on US goods in response to broader tariffs by Trump.

“We will not stand idly by while our iconic steel and aluminium industries are being unfairly targeted,” said Canada’s finance minister Dominic LeBlanc.

Canada’s central bank also cut interest rates to prepare for economic disruption.

Trump’s action to bulk up protections for American steel and aluminium producers restores effective tariffs of 25% on all imports and extends the duties to hundreds of downstream products, from nuts and bolts to bulldozer blades and soda cans.

US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said Trump would impose trade protections on copper as well.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 57% of Americans think Trump is being too erratic in his effort to shake up the US economy, and 70% expect the tariffs will make purchases more expensive.

The 27 countries of the EU are less exposed, as only a “small fraction” of targeted products are exported to the US, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute.

The EU’s countermeasures would target up to $28-billion worth of US goods like dental floss, diamonds, bathrobes and bourbon — which likewise account for a small portion of the giant EU-US commercial relationship. Still, the liquor industry warned they would be “devastating” on its sector.

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will resume talks with US officials.

“It is not in our common interest to burden our economies with such tariffs,” she said.

At the White House, Trump said he would “of course” respond with further tariffs if the EU followed through on its plan. With Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin at his side, Trump criticised the EU member country for luring away US pharmaceutical companies.

In remarks delivered later at a White House ceremony, Martin touted the history of free trade between the two nations.

“Let us continue to build on that foundation,” he said, with an impassive Trump looking on. “Let us continue to work together to make sure that we maintain that mutually beneficial, two-way economic relationship that has allowed innovation and creativity and prosperity to thrive.”

China’s foreign ministry said Beijing would safeguard its interests, while Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the move could have a major impact on US-Japan economic ties.

Close US allies Britain and Australia criticised the blanket tariffs, but ruled out immediate tit-for-tat duties.

Brazil, the No 2 provider of steel to the US, said it would not immediately retaliate.

With Wednesday’s tariff increase well flagged in advance, global stocks were barely changed.

But the back and forth has left companies unnerved, and producers of luxury cars and chemicals painted a gloomy picture of consumer and industrial health. More than 900 of the 1,500 largest US companies have mentioned tariffs on earnings calls or at investor events this year, according to LSEG data.

“We are in a trade war and when a trade war begins, it tends to sustain itself and feed itself,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said on French television.

Shares in German sportswear maker Puma lost almost a quarter of their value after earnings underscored concerns that trade concerns are curbing American spending.

US steel producers welcomed Wednesday’s move, noting Trump’s 2018 tariffs had been weakened by numerous exemptions. The cost of aluminium and steel in the US hovered near recent peaks.

JPMorgan’s chief economist forecast a 40% chance of a US recession this year and lasting damage to the country’s standing as a reliable investment destination if Trump undermines trust in US governance.

A steep US stocks sell-off in March has wiped out all of the gains notched by Wall Street after Trump’s election.

The escalation of the US-Canada trade war occurred as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to hand over power to his successor, Mark Carney.

“I’m ready to sit down with President Trump at the appropriate time, under a position where there’s respect for Canadian sovereignty and we’re working for a common approach,” Carney said while touring a steel plant in Ontario.

Other Canadian officials are due to meet US officials in Washington on Thursday.

The US national anthem has been booed at hockey games and some stores removed US products from their shelves. Some travellers are steering clear of the US, with bookings down 20% from a year ago.

Reuters