Here’s how countries have retaliated to Trump’s tariffs
The barrage of tariffs President Donald Trump levied this week, which sent shock waves through global markets, sparked pledges to retaliate from key U.S. trading partners but few immediate moves to intensify the global trade war the White House appears eager to pursue.
China was first to respond with new measures, announcing a 34% tariff on U.S. goods, matching Trump’s levies on China.
Further retaliation is expected: As Europe weighs its options for negotiation, others among the 60 or so countries included in the latest U.S. sanctions are preparing to do the same.
Canada and Mexico, the United States’ two largest trading partners, were exempt from Wednesday’s tariff rollout but remain locked in their own, earlier cycle of tariffs and countermeasures.
Here is a list of major trading partners that have imposed tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump’s moves, along with their existing trade deficits with the U.S., which the White House says tariffs should wipe out. The list will update as countries and blocs announce retaliatory measures.
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China
Trade deficit with the United States in 2024: -$295.4 billion
Tariffs on U.S. goods before Trump’s second term: Across imports, tariffs averaged 4.9%, with the rate adjusted based on trade volume, according to the World Trade Organization.
Retaliatory tariffs under Trump: China on April 4 became the first country to respond in kind to the global tariffs Trump issued earlier in the week, imposing a 34% tariff on U.S. goods.
In February, Beijing imposed levies of 15% on imports of U.S. coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% for crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the United States, in response to a Trump executive order imposing an additional 10 percent tariff on China. By March 18, Beijing had slapped 10 to 15% tariffs on $21 billion of American products, including pork, chicken, soybeans and other farming goods, in retaliation for additional U.S. duties on everything China exports to the United States. These Chinese levies are placed on goods predominantly produced in areas of the U.S. that voted Republican in the last election, including Iowa, North Carolina and Missouri.
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Canada
Trade deficit with the United States in 2024: -$63.3 billion
Tariffs on U.S. goods before Trump’s second term: Across imports, tariffs averaged 3.9%, with the rate adjusted based on trade volume, according to the World Trade Organization. A significant amount of U.S.-Canada trade was tariff-free because of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which the three countries brokered during Trump’s first term to replace free-trade agreements that had previously been in place for decades.
Retaliatory tariffs under Trump: Canada will match Trump’s 25% auto tariffs with a tariff on some U.S.-made vehicles imported from the U.S., Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday. Despite the timing, he was responding to earlier measures, not the wide-scale U.S. tariffs announced Wednesday.
On March 4, Canada imposed a 25% tariff on roughly $21 billion worth of U.S. goods. Then, on March 12, America’s northern neighbor announced 25% tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of U.S. goods, in response to the U.S. decision to raise tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%. The Canadian tariffs are targeting steel products worth roughly $8.7 billion, aluminum products worth $2.08 billion and other products worth $9.85 billion.
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European Union
Trade deficit with the United States in 2024: -$235.6 billion
Tariffs on U.S. goods before Trump’s second term: Across imports, tariffs averaged 1.7%, with the rate adjusted based on trade volume, according to the World Trade Organization.
Retaliatory tariffs under Trump: On March 12, the European Union announced that it would target up to $28 billion in U.S. exports, in response to the U.S. decision to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 25%. The European Commission published a 99-page list of U.S. goods that could be hit, including chewing gum, soybeans, home appliances, beef, poultry and alcoholic beverages. Some tariffs could target the home states of Republican leaders, such as Louisiana, represented by House Speaker Mike Johnson. European diplomats are preparing phased countermeasures to this week’s tariffs, but said they were hoping for trade talks.
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Mexico
Trade deficit with the United States in 2024: -$171.8 billion
Tariffs on U.S. goods before Trump’s second term: Across imports, tariffs averaged 5.7%, with the rate adjusted based on trade volume, according to the World Trade Organization. A significant amount of U.S.-Canada trade was tariff-free because of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that the three countries brokered during Trump’s first term to replace free-trade agreements that had previously been in place for decades.
Retaliatory tariffs under Trump: Mexico was not hit in the Wednesday blizzard of tariffs but is still affected by the worldwide tariffs on steel and aluminum products announced in March as well as the 25% tariffs on auto parts not made in the U.S. and the 25% tariff on goods that aren’t compliant with the USMCA, which Trump signed in his first term.
“Mexico has been respected, by the United States and by the whole world,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday.
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• Ellen Francis, Christian Shepherd and Mary Beth Sheridan contributed.
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About this story: Data for trade deficits between the United States and other countries from U.S. Census Bureau. Data for trade deficit for the European Union from the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Data for existing tariffs on U.S. goods before Jan. 20 from the World Trade Organization.