President Donald Trump sent a wave of disruption through the globe on Wednesday when he announced sweeping tariffs against several nations.
During his announcement, the president argued that other countries have maintained hefty tariffs on American goods while expecting the U.S. to keep lower duties on imports. He stated that he would impose “reciprocal tariffs” on other countries, explaining, “They do it to us, we do it to them.”
President Trump:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 2, 2025
"In a few moments, I will sign a historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world." pic.twitter.com/Ez70qfFqEq
The governments of the affected nations aren’t happy about the development, as can be expected. Several have already cried foul, speaking out against the new tariffs. China vowed to use retaliatory measures against the U.S., NBC News reported.
China said Thursday that it firmly opposed the tariffs and would take “necessary measures” to protect its interests.
“The U.S., under the guise of ‘reciprocity,’ has imposed tariffs on products from multiple countries, including China, which seriously violates WTO rules and undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a briefing in Beijing.
Unlike with past tariffs when smartphones and other electronics were exempt, the latest levies appear to affect them, said Tianchen Xu, a senior China economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, a financial forecasting service.
“No product made in China is safe,” Tianchen said.
The tariffs will be a “big blow” to China’s low-cost manufacturers, particularly at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is struggling to boost domestic demand, he added.
Europe has also signaled that it would employ countermeasures against Trump’s tariffs. The European Union called Trump’s action a “major blow to the world economy,” CNN reported. Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the EU’s executive arm,” said on Thursday that she “deeply regret[s] this choice.”
“Let’s be clear-eyed about the immense consequences. The global economy will massively suffer. Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism,” von der Leyen said in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where she is attending the EU-Central Asia Summit.
“All businesses, big and small, will suffer from day 1, from big uncertainty to the disruption of supply chains, to burdensome bureaucracy. The costs of doing business with the United States will drastically increase,” she said.
Leyen further stated that the EU is “already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel, and we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.”
Sweden has not yet indicated whether it will retaliate. But Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in a post on X said the nation “will continue to stand up for free trade and international cooperation.”
Sweden will continue to stand up for free trade and international cooperation. pic.twitter.com/ZJWPbVhbmf
— SwedishPM (@SwedishPM) April 2, 2025
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that Trump’s tariffs were “not unexpected,” but they are “totally unwarranted.”
Trump referred to reciprocal tariffs. A reciprocal tariff would be zero not 10%. The admin’s tariffs have no basis in logic and they go against the basis of our two nations’ partnership.
A French government spokesperson claimed Trump wants to be “master of the world” and that the tariffs would be a “hard blow” for European nations.
Switzerland has also responded to the tariffs. Karin Keller-Sutter, president of the Swiss Federation stated that the council “will quickly determine the next steps” and that “Adherence to international law and free trade remain core values.”
Der Bundesrat nimmt die Zoll-Entscheide der USA zur Kenntnis. Er wird rasch das weitere Vorgehen festlegen. Im Vordergrund stehen die langfristigen wirtschaftlichen Interessen des Landes. Treue zum internationalen Recht und Freihandel bleiben zentrale Werte. pic.twitter.com/GWCywZBruX
— Karin Keller-Sutter (@keller_sutter) April 2, 2025
Taiwan’s cabinet called the tariffs “highly unreasonable and regrettable.”
Some context: Home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the island is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple and Nvidia.
The calculation of the tariff rate “lacks scientific basis” and fails to reflect the highly complementary trade relationships between the two sides, Taiwan’s cabinet – the Executive Yuan – said.
Taiwan’s trade surplus with the United States has grown in recent years, in part due to rising demand from US companies for AI-related and information products.
“This reflects Taiwan’s huge contribution to the US economy and national security, but it was used as a reason to subject Taiwan to high tariffs,” the cabinet said.
The fallout from Trump’s announcement is sure to continue as the rest of the world considers how it will respond. For better or for worse, the trade wars have just begun.
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