Business

Trump sets 25% tariff on key allies, threatens up to 40% on others

Published

4 weeks ago

July 8, 2025

admin

WASHINGTON, July 7, (AP): President Donald Trump on Monday set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on Aug. 1.

Trump provided notice by posting letters on Truth Social that were addressed to the leaders of the various countries. The letters warned them to not retaliate by increasing their own import taxes, or else the Trump administration would further increase tariffs.

“If for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 25% that we charge,” Trump wrote in the letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

The letters were not the final word from Trump on tariffs, so much as another episode in a global economic drama in which he has placed himself at the center. His moves have raised fears that economic growth would slow to a trickle, if not make the U.S. and other nations more vulnerable to a recession. But Trump is confident that tariffs are necessary to bring back domestic manufacturing and fund the tax cuts he signed into law last Friday.

He mixed his sense of aggression with a willingness to still negotiate, signaling the likelihood that the drama and uncertainty would continue and that few things are ever final with Trump.

“It’s all done,” Trump told reporters Monday. “I told you we’ll make some deals, but for the most part we’re going to send a letter.”

South Korea’s Trade Ministry said early Tuesday that it will accelerate negotiations with the United States to achieve a mutually beneficial deal before the 25% tax on its exports goes into effect.

Imports from Myanmar and Laos would be taxed at 40%, Cambodia and Thailand at 36%, Serbia and Bangladesh at 35%, Indonesia at 32%, South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 30% and Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia at 25%.

Trump placed the word “only” before revealing the rate in his letters to the foreign leaders, implying that he was being generous with his tariffs. But the letters generally followed a standard format, so much so that the one to Bosnia and Herzegovina initially addressed its woman leader, Željka Cvijanović, as “Mr. President.” Trump later posted a corrected letter.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump, by setting the rates himself, was creating “tailor-made trade plans for each and every country on this planet and that’s what this administration continues to be focused on.”

Following a now well-worn pattern, Trump plans to continue sharing the letters sent to his counterparts on social media and then mailing them the documents, a stark departure from the more formal practices of all his predecessors when negotiating trade agreements.

The letters are not agreed-to settlements but Trump’s own choice on rates, a sign that the closed-door talks with foreign delegations failed to produce satisfactory results for either side.

Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute who formerly worked in the office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said the tariff hikes on Japan and South Korea were “unfortunate.”

“Both have been close partners on economic security matters and have a lot to offer the United States on priority matters like shipbuilding, semiconductors, critical minerals and energy cooperation,” Cutler said.

Trump still has outstanding differences on trade with the European Union and India, among other trading partners. Tougher talks with China are on a longer time horizon in which imports from that nation are being taxed at 55%.

The office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that the tariff rates announced by Trump mischaracterized the trade relationship with the U.S., but it would “continue with its diplomatic efforts towards a more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States” after having proposed a trade framework on May 20.

The S&P 500 stock index was down 0.8% in Monday trading, while the interest charged on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes increased to nearly 4.39%, a figure that could translate into elevated rates for mortgages and auto loans.

Trump has declared an economic emergency to unilaterally impose the taxes, suggesting they are remedies for past trade deficits even though many U.S. consumers have come to value autos, electronics and other goods from Japan and South Korea. The constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs under normal circumstances, though tariffs can also result from executive branch investigations regarding national security risks.

Trump’s ability to impose tariffs through an economic emergency is under legal challenge, with the administration appealing a May ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade that said the president exceeded his authority.

It’s unclear what he gains strategically against China – another stated reason for the tariffs – by challenging two crucial partners in Asia, Japan and South Korea, that could counter China’s economic heft.

“These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Trump wrote in both letters.

Because the new tariff rates go into effect in roughly three weeks, Trump is setting up a period of possibly tempestuous talks among the U.S. and its trade partners to reach new frameworks.

“I don’t see a huge escalation or a walk back – it’s just more of the same,” said Scott Lincicome, a vice president at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank

Trump initially roiled the financial markets by announcing tariff rates on dozens of countries, including 24% on Japan and 25% on South Korea. In order to calm the markets, Trump unveiled a 90-day negotiating period during which goods from most countries were taxed at a baseline 10%. So far, the rates in the letters sent by Trump either match his April 2 tariffs or are generally close to them.

The 90-day negotiating period technically ends Wednesday, even as multiple administration officials suggested the three-week period before implementation is akin to overtime for additional talks that could change the rates. Trump signed an executive order Monday to delay the official tariff increases until Aug. 1.

Congressionally approved trade agreements historically have sometimes taken years to negotiate because of the complexity.

Administration officials have said Trump is relying on tariff revenues to help offset the tax cuts he signed into law on July 4, a move that could shift a greater share of the federal tax burden onto the middle class and poor as importers would likely pass along much of the cost of the tariffs. Trump has warned major retailers such as Walmart to simply “eat” the higher costs, instead of increasing prices in ways that could intensify inflation.

Josh Lipsky, chair of international economics at The Atlantic Council, said a three-week delay in imposing the tariffs was unlikely sufficient for meaningful talks to take place.

“I take it as a signal that he is serious about most of these tariffs and it’s not all a negotiating posture,” Lipsky said.

Trump’s team promised 90 deals in 90 days, but his negotiations so far have produced only two trade frameworks.

His outline of a deal with Vietnam was clearly designed to box out China from routing its America-bound goods through that country, by doubling the 20% tariff charged on Vietnamese imports on anything traded transnationally.

The quotas in the signed United Kingdom framework would spare that nation from the higher tariff rates being charged on steel, aluminum, and autos, though British goods would generally face a 10% tariff.

The United States ran a $69.4 billion trade imbalance in goods with Japan in 2024 and a $66 billion imbalance with South Korea, according to the Census Bureau. The trade deficits are the differences between what the U.S. exports to a country relative to what it imports.

According to Trump’s letters, autos would be tariffed separately at the standard 25% worldwide, while steel and aluminum imports would be taxed on 50%.

This is not the first time Trump has tangled with Japan and South Korea on trade – and the new tariffs suggest his past deals made during his first term failed to deliver on his administration’s own hype.

In 2018, during Trump’s first term, his administration celebrated a revamped trade agreement with South Korea as a major win. And in 2019, Trump signed a limited agreement with Japan on agricultural products and digital trade that at the time he called a “huge victory for America’s farmers, ranchers and growers.”

Trump has also said on social media that countries aligned with the policy goals of BRICS, an organization composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, would face additional tariffs of 10%.

Related Topics:allies key sets tariff threatens Trump

Up Next

Trump sets 25% tariffs on Japan, S.Korea, and new import taxes on 12 other nations

Don't Miss

A reignited Trump-Musk feud burns Tesla investors, shares of EV company tumble 8%

Click to comment

Business

KNPC to build 16 fuel stations in Kuwait

Published

2 days ago

July 31, 2025

admin

KUWAIT CITY, July 31: Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has obtained approval to build 16 fuel stations this year, say sources from the oil sector. Sources disclosed that the stations will be located in new residential cities, while some densely populated residential areas will have additional fuel stations.

Sources said the company aims to increase its sales of all types of gasoline to at least seven million liters by 2030, considering that its sales exceeded 5.105 million liters of gasoline by the end of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025; compared to 5.016 million liters in the previous year and around 4.891 million liters in 2023. Sources confirmed that the company is targeting increased revenues from car wash stations, whose revenues declined in fiscal 2024/2025 to KD393,300 compared to KD432,000 in the previous fiscal year. Sources indicated that KNPC is planning to develop its car wash stations to achieve the targeted returns. Sources stated that KNPC will establish new fuel stations in line with environmental cleanliness and international requirements, particularly the strategy of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) to achieve carbon neutrality. Sources added the company intends to implement many initiatives related to its projects and refineries in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Moreover, sources confirmed that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KNPC Wadha Al-Khatib ensured that around 120 Kuwaiti employees under contractor contracts were treated fairly as their salaries, which exceeded the top of the grade scale, were not affected. Sources said these employees remain entitled to promotions and job placements under the regulations. Sources added that the Kuwaitis employed at Al-Dar Company, which implements service projects for KNPC, will soon receive their end-of-service benefits.

Sources also stated that the executive management of KNPC prioritizes nationals, such that it periodically announces job advertisements to increase the percentage of nationals working in the company to compensate for the decline in 2025. They revealed that in the first quarter of this year, the number of Kuwaiti workers reached 5,864; compared to about 6,007 during the same period in 2024. The percentage of national workers in KNPC stands at 92.4 percent, which, sources stressed, is a good percentage. They went on to say that Al-Khatib’s recent instructions to the leadership of the company center on the need to increase the national human capital and develop their functional capabilities. They added that KNPC organized many training courses for the national workforce in cooperation with local and international institutions.

By Najeh Bilal
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

Business

Pakistan and US reach a trade deal to develop oil reserves and reduce tariffs

Published

2 days ago

July 31, 2025

admin

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, shakes the hand of Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, left, at the State Department, Friday, July 25, in Washington. (AP)

ISLAMABAD, July 31, (AP):The United States and Pakistan reached a trade agreement expected to allow Washington to help develop Pakistan’s largely untapped oil reserves and lower tariffs for the South Asian country, officials from both nations said Thursday.

Officials did not specify where the exploration would take place, but most of Pakistan’s reserves are believed to be in the insurgency-hit southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatists say the province’s natural resources are being exploited by the central government in Islamabad.

“We have just concluded a deal with the country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive oil reserves,” U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership,” Trump added. “Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling oil to India someday!”

Total U.S. trade with Pakistan was an estimated $7.3 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the United States Representative, which said on its website that U.S. exports to Pakistan in 2024 were $2.1 billion, up 4.4% ($90.9 million) from 2023. U.S. imports from Pakistan totaled $5.1 billion in 2024, up 4.9% ($238.7 million) from 2023, it said.

There was no immediate comment from the Baloch nationalists and separatist groups. Balochistan has long been the center of violence mostly blamed on groups including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, which the U.S. designated a terrorist organization in 2019.

Separatists in Balochistan have opposed the extraction of resources by Pakistani and foreign firms and have targeted Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Oil reserves are also thought to exist in the southern Sindh, eastern Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the “long-awaited” deal and thanked Trump for playing a key role in finalizing it.

Pakistan had been pursuing a trade agreement since May, when Trump mediated a ceasefire between Pakistan and India following an escalation triggered by Indian airstrikes on Pakistani territory in response to the killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Finance Ministry said in a statement early Thursday the agreement aims to boost bilateral trade, expand market access, attract investment and foster cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

The breakthrough came during a meeting in Washington between Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and senior U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer.

The deal includes a reduction in reciprocal tariffs, particularly on Pakistani exports to the U.S., the statement from the ministry said. “The agreement enhances Pakistan’s access to the U.S. market and vice versa,” it said. The agreement is also expected to spur increased U.S. investment in Pakistan’s infrastructure and development projects, it added.

The ministry said the deal reflects both nations’ commitment to deepening bilateral ties and strengthening trade and investment cooperation.

Business

Asian shares mostly down after South Korea makes tariff deal, US stocks fall

Published

2 days ago

July 31, 2025

admin

Vehicles for export are parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on July 31. (AP)

MANILA, Philippines, July 31, (AP): Asian shares were mostly lower Thursday after U.S. stocks slipped, as doubts rose on Wall Street about whether the Federal Reserve will deliver economy-juicing cuts to interest rates by September. Bucking the trend, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 41,075.85 after the Bank of Japan kept interest rates steady at 0.5% and raised inflation projections. The move follows Tokyo’s trade deal with Washington.

In Seoul, the Kospi edged down 0.6% to 3,235.83 after South Korea reached a 15% tariff deal with the US, with no levies on American goods like cars, trucks and farm products. The deal also includes South Korea’s purchase of $100 billion US energy imports and $350 billion worth of investments in the U.S. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 1.1% to 24,814.59, while the Shanghai Composite Index slid 0.8% to 3,586.13.

Australia’s S&P ASX 200 shed 0.2% to 8,741.90. India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.4% to 81,169.49. Taiwan’s TAIEX rose 0.3% to 23,542.52 Rabo Bank, citing the U.S. trade deals with other countries, including Bangladesh, said in a commentary that “it appears to be only a matter of time before India agrees to terms to ensure that it retains favorable access to the US market and all of those other markets that (US President Donald) Trump has demonstrated he has the power to direct through economic coercion.”

Rabo added that the terms of a US-India trade deal would almost certainly include Indian purchases of US arms and energy products and preferential access to U.S. agricultural goods. “A potential loser in all of this is Australia. With the US sending more wheat to Indonesia and Bangladesh and more LNG to Japan and South Korea, Australian exports stand to be displaced from their traditional markets,” it added.

Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports coming from India, along with an additional tax because of India’s purchases of Russian oil, beginning Friday. That’s when stiff tariffs Trump has proposed for many other countries are also scheduled to kick in, unless they reach trade deals that lower the rates.

But the US president said the two countries were still in negotiations. On Wall Street on Wednesday the S&P 500 edged down by 0.1%, coming off its first loss after setting all-time highs for six successive days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 171 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%. Stocks felt pressure from rising Treasury yields in the bond market after the Federal Reserve voted to hold its main interest rate steady. The move may upset Trump, who has been lobbying for lower interest rates, but it was widely expected on Wall Street.