US’s trading partners united in their condemnation of Trump’s tariffs
Tokyo/London — Various countries reacted on Friday to US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. Major Asian nations warned of damage to relations amid industry calls for retaliation, while the UK said the US was taking the wrong approach and it would be "absurd" for Britain to be caught up in them. Japan said the move would have a "big impact" on the countries’ close bilateral ties, while China said it was "resolutely opposed" to the decision and South Korea said it might file a complaint to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). UK Trade Secretary Liam Fox said there was overproduction of steel in the world, mainly coming from China, but that protectionism "never really works", adding that British steel was used to supply the US military. "So it’s doubly absurd that we should then be caught on an investigation on national security," Fox said on BBC’s Question Time late on Thursday evening. "We can deal multilaterally with the overproduction...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.