logo
US treasury secretary hints at restoring 'reciprocal' tariffs on trade partners

US treasury secretary hints at restoring 'reciprocal' tariffs on trade partners

NHK16 hours ago
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hinted that even countries involved in trade negotiations with the United States in good faith could face what President Donald Trump calls "reciprocal tariffs."
The tariffs were imposed in April on countries and regions with large trade surpluses with the US.
Later in the month, the US suspended the measures for 90 days for negotiations, with a deadline set for July 9.
Bessent, who is leading the talks, spoke in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Monday.
He said, "we have countries that are negotiating in good faith, but they should be aware that if we can't get across the line because they're being recalcitrant, then we could spring back to the April 2 levels."
He added, "I hope that won't have to happen."
Also on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the president will meet his trade team this week.
She said Trump "is going to set the rates for many of these countries if they don't come to the table to negotiate in good faith."
Leavitt said that Trump and his team are finalizing these agreements, and "you'll hear from" them "very soon when it comes to India."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump says with trade deal unlikely, Japan faces tariffs of '30%-35%'
Trump says with trade deal unlikely, Japan faces tariffs of '30%-35%'

Nikkei Asia

timean hour ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Trump says with trade deal unlikely, Japan faces tariffs of '30%-35%'

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on July 1. © Reuters RYOHEI YASOSHIMA WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he doubts a trade deal with Japan can be reached before the July 9 deadline, adding he is considering raising tariffs on Japanese imports to 30% or 35%. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump criticized Japan for not accepting imports of U.S. rice, as well as the imbalance in auto trade between the two countries.

The Deadline for Trump's ‘Reciprocal Tariffs' Is Looming
The Deadline for Trump's ‘Reciprocal Tariffs' Is Looming

The Diplomat

time2 hours ago

  • The Diplomat

The Deadline for Trump's ‘Reciprocal Tariffs' Is Looming

How are other countries responding to the threat that the U.S. tariffs will be re-applied from July 9? U.S. President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on implementing so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs on some 180 trading partners ends on July 8. How are countries responding to the threat, and will the tariffs be re-applied from July 9? The United States is demanding four things from all trading partners, while offering little in return. So these negotiations are anything but 'reciprocal.' The main demand is to rebalance bilateral goods trade between the U.S. and other countries. Nations with trade surpluses – meaning they export a greater value of goods than they import from the U.S. – will be encouraged to import more from the U.S. and/or export less to it. The U.S. is also pushing countries to eliminate a range of 'non-tariff barriers' that may affect U.S. export competitiveness. These barriers are drawn from the United States Trade Representative's March 2025 report and include a variety of perceived 'unfair' practices, from value-added taxes (such as the Goods and Services Tax) to biosecurity standards such as those Australia applies to agricultural imports. In a nod to the 'tech bros,' (alleged) restrictions on digital trade services, such as Australia's media bargaining code, and digital service taxes must be removed, along with taxes on the tech giants. On June 30, Canada dropped a new digital service tax on firms such as Google and Meta after Trump suspended trade talks. Countries must also agree to reduce reliance on inputs from China in any exports to the United States. That means companies that moved manufacturing from China to countries such as Vietnam during Trump's first term trade wars will face challenges in sourcing input components from China. Put together, this is a difficult package for any government to accept without securing something in return. Trump has been fond of saying the United States holds 'all the cards' in trade negotiations. But in reality, the negotiating partners fall into three basic categories. It's not known precisely how many countries are negotiating bilateral deals with Washington. Between 10 and 18 countries are priority 'targets,' or to use an early, colorful phrase, were targeted as the 'Dirty 15.' Category 1 likely comprises many more countries than those on the United States' naughty list. These countries were saddled with large reciprocal tariffs despite the tariff formula's evident shortcomings. To paraphrase Trump, these countries don't hold the cards and have limited negotiating power. They have no choice but to make concessions. The smarter ones will take the opportunity to make reforms and blame the bully in Washington. Mostly these are developing countries, some with high dependency on the U.S. market, including the poorest such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Lesotho. To make matters worse, they must keep one eye on China for fear of retribution in case Beijing perceives any promises to reduce dependence on Chinese inputs would compromise Chinese interests. Category 2 consists of countries that 'hold cards,' or have some degree of leverage. Some, such as Canada, Japan, India, and the EU, will secure limited U.S. concessions although they may resort to retaliation to force this outcome. From discussions with our government and academic sources, Japan and India likely won't retaliate, but Canada has previously and the EU likely will. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese initially said he would not negotiate and has repeated U.S. reciprocal tariffs 'are not the act of a friend.' However, the Australian government is wisely looking to bolster its negotiation cards, such as creating a critical minerals strategic reserve. No doubt policymakers are also reminding the U.S. of their favorable access to Australia's military infrastructure which could be essential to any China-U.S. military confrontation. China is category 3. The Chinese government is determined not to kowtow to Washington as they did in Trump's first term. The so-called 'Phase 1 deal' was signed but instantly forgotten in Beijing. Beijing has several cards, notably dominance of processed critical minerals and their derivative products, particularly magnets, and the United States' lack of short-term alternative supply options. After China expanded export controls on rare earths and critical minerals, shortages hit the auto industry around the world and Ford was forced to idle plants. Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, suggested on June 27 that more deals may be signed before July 8. But Trump is likely to undermine and/or negate them as his transactional whims change. The British, after announcing their U.S. deal that included relatively favorable automotive and steel export market access, watched in horror as Trump doubled tariffs on steel imports to 50 percent, and reimposed the 25 percent tariff on the United Kingdom. The U.K. government was reminded that this U.S. administration cannot be trusted. That is why countries negotiate binding trade treaties governed by domestic and international laws. Many countries are waiting on the outcomes from various U.S. court battles testing whether the president or Congress should have the power to impose unilateral tariffs. After all, if there is a chance the Supreme Court rules Trump cannot change tariffs by decree, then why negotiate with a serially untrustworthy partner? The Japanese government, for example, recently announced it is pausing trade negotiations after the U.S. demanded increased defense spending. On June 29, Trump suggested he would simply send letters to foreign nations setting a tariff rate. 'I'm going to send letters, that's the end of the trade deal,' he said. That does not bode well for countries negotiating in good faith. It's likely tariffs will be reimposed and bilateral negotiations will drag on to September or beyond, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said. After all, even the U.S. government has limited bandwidth to process so many simultaneous negotiations. Category 2 trading partners will increasingly test their own political limits. And the rest of the world is hoping for a favorable Supreme Court ruling that may, like the character Godot in the play 'Waiting for Godot,' never come. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite
Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite

Japan Times

time13 hours ago

  • Japan Times

Large Japanese companies surprisingly optimistic as U.S. tariffs bite

Large Japanese businesses maintained optimism overall in the second quarter even as the United States implemented a range of new tariffs. According to the Bank of Japan's quarterly tankan survey, released Tuesday, the business sentiment index for large manufacturers improved to 13, up from 12 in the first quarter. The latest figure exceeded the average forecast of 10 by 15 think tanks. This was the first tankan survey conducted after U.S. President Donald Trump introduced 10% "reciprocal" tariffs and 25% tariffs on vehicles in April. Confidence among large companies in the auto industry, which is the backbone of the Japanese economy, dropped to 8 from 13 in the previous survey. "Although the tariff situation is still up in the air, the survey suggests there's a growing belief that if reciprocal tariffs stay at 10%, industries except for the auto sector wouldn't face major impacts," Koichi Fujishiro, an economist at the Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, wrote in a report on Tuesday. The tankan survey asks companies whether business conditions are 'favorable,' 'not so favorable" or 'unfavorable." Positive readings mean those answering "favorable" have outnumbered companies answering "unfavorable." As more than 99% of companies polled normally respond to the questionnaire, the data is considered to be of a very high quality and an accurate reflection of the situation on the ground. The latest survey polled nearly 9,000 companies between May 28 and June 30. The tankan shows small and medium-size manufacturers were not as optimistic as larger companies. The reading for medium-size manufacturers in the second quarter dropped to 10 from 11, while the figure for smaller companies declined to 1 from 2. Trade Minister Yoji Muto said at a news conference on Tuesday that it is still hard to gauge the impact of the auto tariffs, but some feedback to consultation desks set up by the ministry suggests that the tariffs have already affected some auto-related companies. Japan and the United States have made no significant progress in tariff negotiations despite months of dialogue. Japan is asking the U.S. to remove or lower the auto tariffs, but Trump appears to be unwilling to do so. The tankan showed that sentiment among large nonmanufacturers met the average forecast of 34, down slightly from 35 in the first quarter. Still, the figure is the highest in more than three decades. Strong confidence at nonmanufacturing companies is helped by booming inbound tourism, robust investment related to digital transformation, high construction demand and a recovery in consumption, Fujishiro pointed out. The tankan also indicates that the labor shortages are still serious, so more companies will be under pressure to offer higher wages to attract employees, which could justify a rate increase by the BOJ, Fujishiro added, saying that the bank may raise rates this month. The BOJ is scheduled to have a two-day policy meeting on July 30 and July 31. A Bloomberg survey of 53 BOJ watchers last month showed that nearly half of those surveyed believed that the bank will not raise rates this year given that it will take time to gauge the impact of U.S. tariffs.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store