Trump authorizes 90-Day pause on most tariffs
Jenipher Camino Gonzalez | Zac Crellin | Shakeel Sobhan with AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa

Facing a a global market crisis, the US President decided to pause tariffs on most countries for 90 days. He also raised the tariff rate for China to 125%. DW has more.

Facing a global market meltdown, President Donald Trump abruptly backed down on his tariffs on most nations for 90 days.

He raised his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125% after Beijing said it would raise tariffs on US imports to 84%.

Meanwhile, the European Union earlier agreed to go ahead with its retaliatory tariffs against the US, in response to a previously announced levy on steel and aluminum imports. However, Brussels has yet to respond to Trump's more recent announcement of a 20% on all imports from the EU.

Here are the latest developments from the fallout of the Trump tariffs on Wednesday, April 9:

 Skip next section Trump says pause applies to countries that 'did not retaliate'
Trump says pause applies to countries that 'did not retaliate'

US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters about the 90-day pause on tariffs, saying he acknowledged that people were getting "a little bit afraid" about the tariffs and were "jumping a bit out of line."

Trump said the tariffs pause was for countries that didn't retaliate, which explained why China wasn't included.

"China wants to make a deal. They just don't know how quite to go about it... President Xi (Jinping) is a proud man... They don't know quite how to go about it, but they'll figure it out," Trump said.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also spoke about what's next, saying that the negotiations with individual countries would be "bespoke," meaning that the next 90 days would involve talks on a flurry of potential deals.

Bessent tried to reassure reporters that the tariff pause decision had nothing to do with negative reactions from the financial markets to the tariff policy.

The treasury secretary said he and Trump "had a long talk on Sunday, and this was his strategy all along" and that the president had "goaded China into a bad position."

"The only certainty we can provide is that the US is going to negotiate in good faith, and we assume that our allies will too," Bessent said.

https://www.dw.com/en/trump-authorizes-90-day-pause-on-most-tariffs/live-72179999

 

 

EU member states have approved retaliatory measures to counter the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on the bloc’s steel and aluminum. The response does not address the 20% US tariffs on all EU exports that came into force on Wednesday.

Trump, who has repeatedly accused the EU of treating America “badly,”introduced 25% duties on metals last month, saying the policy targeted nations that impose high barriers for US goods.

The European Commission did not disclose the list of targeted goods or tariff levels, but media reports citing internal documents said the measures would cover a wide range of US goods, including poultry, grains, clothing and metals. Most of the goods would reportedly face a 25% tariff, with a few categories subject to 10%. According to a statement, released by European Commission on Wednesday, the bloc’s countermeasures will take effect on April 15.

EU diplomats with direct knowledge of the decision told Politico that only Hungary opposed the package, while all other 26 members backed it.

The volume of US imports affected will reportedly be slightly less than the volume EU exports hit by the US tariffs, at around €22 billion ($23.8 billion) per year. Bourbon was removed from the list due to pressure from France, Ireland and Italy after Trump warned that targeting it could trigger a 200% tariff on European alcohol, media wrote.

The Commission said that the EU considered US tariffs “unjustified and damaging,” causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy. The countermeasures could be suspended “at any time” if the US agrees to a “fair and balanced negotiated outcome,” it added.

https://www.rt.com/business/615459-eu-retaliatory-tariffs-trump/

 

EU readies €20 billion retaliation against Trump's tariffs
Rosie Birchard

The 27-nation bloc has agreed to apply retaliatory tariffs on nearly €21 billion of US products like soybeans, motorcycles and orange juice, but is holding back on targeting the US tech sector as it seeks a deal.

 

 

BERLIN, April 9 (Reuters) - Friedrich Merz, Germany's likely next chancellor, said U.S. President Donald Trump's pause of tariffs for 90 days was evidence of a united European approach to trade having a positive effect, and called for tariff-free U.S.-EU trade."Europeans are determined to defend ourselves and this example shows that unity helps most of all," he told TV show RTL Direkt in an interview following his conservative bloc's sealing of a coalition deal with the Social Democrats. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-tariffs-shift-shows-benefits-eu-unity-says-german-chancellor-designate-2025-04-09/  

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         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMhQAlIm_pM

US President Donald Trump has raised the tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% in response to retaliatory measures imposed by Beijing earlier on Wednesday.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that “based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately.” 

He expressed hope that Beijing would realize that “ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable.”

The move came hours after China’s Finance Ministry announced a tariff hike of its own, which brought tariffs levied on American imports to a total of 84%, thus mirroring Washington’s previous increase by 50%.

https://www.rt.com/news/615482-trump-hikes-china-tariff/

 

Christopher Tang

US tariff policies strengthening China's position in Asia

 

In geopolitics, there are no permanent friends or enemies, but there are permanent interests. While many countries in Southeast Asia have tried to maintain their economic ties with the US and China, President Donald Trump’s economic and tariff plans are inadvertently helping China strengthen its position in Asia.

On 2 April, Trump announced a new round of tariffs , calling it “Liberation Day.” These tariffs include a 10% universal tariff on all imports and higher rates for several Asian countries such as China (34%), Vietnam (46%), Cambodia (49%), Laos (48%), Thailand (36%), Indonesia (32%), Malaysia (24%), and the Philippines (17%).

These reciprocal tariffs are the highest US taxes on trade since 1909. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called 2 April the “Recession Day”, highlighting the potential negative impact on the US economy. Many economists forecast that these wide-ranging tariffs will accelerate inflation and dampen US economic growth, resulting in stagflation as economic growth falters even as prices remain painfully high.

The stock market reacted sharply on 3 and 4 April, wiping out US$ 5 trillion in value.

Trump’s trade war with China

Trump’s view on China has been consistent since 2018 when he launched a trade war against China in his first term, including tariffs and export controls. He believes trade policy with China has been unfair.

Among all nations subject to the new reciprocal tariffs, Trump singled out China as a major target, imposing an additional 34% tariff on Chinese goods, bringing the total new levies this year to 54% . He also signed an executive order, eliminating the so-called de minimis provision for low-value parcels from China, effective from 2 May.

Companies like Shein and Temu have leveraged the $800 de minimis rule to ship low-value packages from China to the US duty-free. The elimination of this rule would significantly affect both companies, which ship more than a million packages daily to the US.

Higher reciprocal tariffs on countries such as Vietnam would close the backdoors that China has used for final assembly operations to change the country of origin to Vietnam and circumvent high tariffs on goods imported from China.

The combination of higher reciprocal tariffs on China and other countries in Asia and Southeast Asia and the elimination of the de minimis rule would affect China’s economy, which is experiencing slower growth. However, Trump’s reciprocal tariffs can help China strengthen its economic ties with other Asian countries.

Impact on Southeast Asian economies

The high reciprocal tariffs will reshape regional trade among Southeast Asian countries.

Geopolitically and economically, many Southeast Asian countries have tried to balance relations between the West and China. Vietnam, in particular, has a complex history with both sides. Despite past conflicts, Hanoi now fosters good relations with its communist neighbour while rapidly opening up to Western businesses and investments.

Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries leverage their strategic location and significant economic potential to make them attractive partners for both China and the US. For example, countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia use their burgeoning tech industries, growing consumer markets, and substantial manufacturing sectors to attract considerable interest.

Trump’s reciprocal tariffs could encourage Southeast Asian nations to solidify their alliances within ASEAN and leverage regional trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a free-trade agreement involving 15 countries including the 10 ASEAN member states, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, to boost regional trade as intended. 

Strengthening regional trade agreements

The high reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US can serve as a catalyst for China to strengthen its ties within Southeast Asia.

First, China can expand its influence through the RCEP and leverage its BRICS membership to enhance trade relations. Additionally, China is unlikely to lower its tariffs to appease Trump; instead, it has retaliated with 34% tariffs on US goods. Both countries’ increased tariffs will reduce bilateral trade.

While China can survive without importing most of the US$125 billion in American goods, the US and many other countries will continue to rely on China for various parts and components. Even if the US imports goods from other countries, those countries will still depend on China for parts.

Further, as China leads in electric vehicle battery production, Trump’s tariff policy could encourage Southeast Asian countries to deepen their economic ties with Beijing. BYD, for instance, has established new factories in Thailand and Indonesia, offering affordable EVs for regional markets.

Potential contradictions and economic consequences

Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are likely to cause a self-inflicted recession in the US. Also, it could create confusion and unintended consequences.

For example, Trump reported he had a call with Vietnam leader To Lam, who expressed a desire to cut Vietnam’s tariffs from 46% to zero. If this happens, it would contradict the “dubious” formula that Trump used to compute the reciprocal tariff, which is based on the country’s trade deficit divided by its exports to the US multiplied by 1/2. For example, America’s trade deficit with China in 2024 was US$295.4 billion, and the US imported US$439.9 billion worth of Chinese goods. That means China’s trade surplus with the United States was 67% of the value of its exports – a value the Trump administration labelled as “tariff charged to US.” And half of that is 34% as announced .

Even if the tariff on Vietnamese imports is reduced to zero, it is unlikely that the trade deficit between Vietnam and the US would disappear due to the reciprocal tariff formula. This is because Vietnam’s consumption capacity for US-made products is not comparable to the American consumer demand for electronic goods assembled in Vietnam.

Trump’s global tariff plan is putting the US at risk and nudging other Asian countries to strengthen their ties with China.

https://johnmenadue.com/post/2025/04/us-tariff-policies-strengthening-chinas-position-in-asia/

 

 

The current trade tensions between the US and China have an air of familiarity dating back to 2018, under the first Trump presidency. But the situation this time is very different in many respects, and it appears to be working in Beijing's favour.

There’s a whiff of déjà vu around the current trade war between the US and China, cranked up by President Donald Trump’s latest tariff blitz. Back in 2018, under the first Trump presidency, the two economic giants were already in the ring when the Republican US president landed his first import tariff punch.

In 2018's first round, Beijing and Washington responded to each other with an "eye for an eye" strategy, matching tariff for tariff. The same game is again playing out since Trump announced his sweeping global tariff plan on April 2.

Trump’s first salvo was the imposition of 34 percent tariffs on all imported Chinese products, which were already taxed at 20 percent. Beijing promptly followed suit, provoking the ire of the US president. China was the only country to announce retaliatory measures so quickly, noted Xin Sun, a specialist on the Chinese economy at King's College London. “China retaliated while all the other countries have been taking a very cautious approach and prioritising, or preferring to negotiate, with the United States,” said Xin.

The US president then threatened a further ration of customs duties in response to Beijing’s retaliation, resulting in a snowballing that saw a whopping 104 percent duties on Chinese products come into effect on Wednesday. In its lengthy policy statement released shortly after they kicked in, China vowed to “fight to the end”.

“If the US insists on further escalating its economic and trade restrictions, China has the firm will and abundant means to take necessary countermeasures and will fight to the end,” the Ministry of Commerce wrote in a statement introducing the white paper.

https://www.france24.com/en/business/20250409-trade-war-is-china-better-equipped-to-confront-trump-than-in-2018

 

 

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

US has secret weapons – Trump      The US president has warned China and other trade partners against escalation beyond the trade war 

President Donald Trump has boasted about US military power and weapons that “nobody has any idea” about, in response to concerns that his tariff war with China could spiral out of control.

Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% on Wednesday, in retaliation for mirror measures imposed by Beijing. China has yet to respond to the latest hike, although its Ministry of Commerce has previously vowed to fight the trade war “to the end.”

Asked whether he was “concerned”about Beijing’s possible next move – and potential “escalation beyond the trade war” – the US leader argued that Chinese President Xi Jinping is “one of the very smart people of the world” who would never “allow that to happen.”

“We’re very powerful. This country is very powerful. It’s far more powerful than people understand. We have weaponry that nobody has any idea what it is, and it is the most powerful weapons in the world that we have. More powerful than anybody even, not even close,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.

“So nobody’s going to do that,” Trump added, reiterating that Xi is a “very smart man” who “knows exactly what has to be done.”

The US president, who has previously teased secret weapons using unusual scientific terminology, did not elaborate on the kind of weapons he was referring to this time.

Back in 2020, Trump touted what he called a “super duper missile” that could fly “17 times faster” than anything America’s adversaries had in their arsenals. He also claimed that Russia’s hypersonic technological breakthroughs resulted from stealing US missile plans during the presidency of Barack Obama – despite the fact that the US has yet to field an operational hypersonic weapon.

Moscow and Beijing have pulled ahead in the race to develop hypersonic weapons over the past decade. Russia put its first system of the kind, the air-launched Kinzhal missile, into service in 2017, while China rolled out its DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle two years later.

Russia has used both Kinzhal and the naval Zircon hypersonic missiles during the Ukraine conflict. Last November, Moscow also carried out the first combat test of its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile fitted with multiple independently targetable warheads capable of hypersonic speeds.

READ MORE: India successfully tests its first long-range hypersonic missile (VIDEO)

In December, after multiple delays and failed tests, Washington announced a successful test launch of its Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, being developed by Lockheed Martin since 2017. The US hopes to equip the first unit with a ground-launched variant of the missile by the end of fiscal 2025.

 

https://www.rt.com/news/615499-us-secret-weapons-trump/

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.