Promised tariffs on imports of goods from Canada and Mexico to the US have come into force after a one-month delay, while president Donald Trump has also increased levies on products from China.
Blanket duties of 25 percent on Canadian and Mexican imports, with the exception of lower levies of ten percent on Canadian crude oil imports, were originally to have been enforced from February, but were postponed following talks between the three nations' leaders.
However, these are now in effect as of Tuesday (March 4th), impacting more than $918 billion worth of US imports from Canada and Mexico.
At the same time, a further ten percent tariff has been imposed on Chinese goods, on top of the ten percent duties introduced last month.
Both Canada and China have announced retaliatory tariffs on certain US imports, while Mexico is expected to follow suit in the coming days with both tariff and non-tariff countermeasures.
Canada has already enacted tariffs on CA$30 billion worth of US goods, with beer, wine, bourbon, home appliances and orange juice among the first products targeted. Prime minister Justin Trudeau said levies on a further CA$125 billion of US goods will be imposed if Mr Trump’s tariffs are still in place in 21 days.
Meanwhile, Beijing has added 15 percent tariffs on US chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, with further ten percent tariffs on sorghum, soya beans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
Mr Trudeau described the US tariffs as a "very dumb thing to do", adding: “Our tariffs will remain in place until the US trade action is withdrawn, and should US tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures.”
However, Mr Trump has shown no signs of backing down, warning on his Truth Social platform that the US will respond to any retaliatory tariffs with further reciprocal levies, indicating that the world may be set for a protracted trade war.