Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" draw outcry from gov'ts worldwide as nations mull countermeasures

The global outcry against U.S. President Donald Trump's latest "reciprocal tariffs" keeps growing, with more countries joining in the condemnation and warning of serious damage to global trade.

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the new set of levies on Wednesday, imposing a 10 percent baseline tariff on imports from all trading partners and higher rates on certain nations. Those "reciprocal tariffs" will take effect on April 5 and 9, respectively.

Affected countries, including France, the UK, Italy, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, and Bolivia announced their opposition to the U.S. move on Friday, with several preparing retaliatory measures.

Marc Ferracci, the French Minister for Industry and Energy, called for a "proportionate but firm" response, stating that Trump's tariffs --unprecedented since the 1930s -- threaten global economic stability and jobs.

He said the EU will discuss countermeasures next week.

French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Laurent Saint-Martin said that France would ensure its response would not hurt its own economic interests, warning that the United States' tariff policy would ultimately harm its own economy.

The same day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held phone conversations with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, respectively.

According to a statement released by the British side, Britain, Italy, and Australia all agreed that a full-blown trade war would be highly destructive and in the interest of no one.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that the United States' tariff policy is a complete negation of the WTO framework and will affect international trade and investment and ultimately affect global economic development.

He said that Singapore will remain vigilant, build up its capabilities, strengthen its partnership network with like-minded countries.

South African Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Parks Tau said that the U.S. move is a disregard for the WTO system and will seriously disrupt the multilateral trading system.

Bolivia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement opposing the new U.S. tariff policy.

The statement mentioned that the U.S. move violates the principles of international trade and the relevant requirements of the WTO, adding that it will lead to the shrinkage of global trade and have serious consequences for all economies and workers worldwide.

The Ministry called for coordinated responses through multilateral and regional forums to challenge these protectionist policies.

Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" draw outcry from gov'ts worldwide as nations mull countermeasures

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday that Seoul firmly adheres to the one-China principle, in comments made ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

The remarks were made in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). The visit is scheduled for Jan 4–7.

"The consensus reached between governments of the Republic of Korea and China when diplomatic relations were established continues to be the fundamental principle governing our relations, and its effectiveness remains steadfast. I want to clearly state that the ROK has always adhered to the one-China principle. Maintaining peace and stability in regional matters, including in Northeast Asia and concerning the Taiwan issue, holds significant importance to us," said Lee.

"The foundational relationship between the ROK and China was established on a very principled and fundamental basis from the beginning. It is clear that the ROK government has always adhered to this position and has never wavered from it. I believe that the sound development of ROK-China relations depends on both sides fully respecting each other's core interests and being mutually tolerant of each other's positions. In this context, we will, as always, uphold the one-China principle as the Taiwan issue is China's most fundamental concern," he said.

ROK president reiterates firm adherence to one-China principle