US pauses tariffs on Canada & Mexico, not on China

KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump has agreed to repel imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

But a US tariff of 10 percent on Chinese imports is still due to go into effect on Tuesday, according to the British broadcaster.

Trump said he planned to speak on the phone to his Chinese counterpart soon.

He described the 10 percent import taxes as the “opening salvo” and said they could become “very, very substantial” if no agreement was reached.

Monday’s breakthrough with Canada and Mexico came as they prepared retaliatory tariffs on American goods.

After two phone calls, Trump and Trudeau posted on social media they had reached a temporary agreement on securing the border that would avoid tariffs for at least 30 days.

“As president, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social.

Trudeau said Canada was implementing a $1.3bn (£1bn) border plan that included nearly 10,000 frontline workers and more resources to halt the flow of fentanyl, a synthetic drug 50 times stronger than heroin, which Trump has cited as a major concern.

The news came just hours after Trump paused a separate tariff on Mexican goods in exchange for that country sending 10,000 National Guard troops to its border with the US.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum shared the news on X, writing she had had a “good conversation with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty” with her US counterpart.

For his part, the US president described his phone conversation with the Mexican leader as “very friendly”.

sa/mud