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US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his administration would impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports while proceeding with planned levies on Canada and Mexico next week. Justifying the move, Trump cited what he described as “unacceptable” levels of drug smuggling into the United States.
President Donald Trump initially rolled out—and then briefly shelved—broad 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico earlier this month, citing concerns over unchecked border crossings and the lethal spread of fentanyl, though Canadian energy imports were slated for a lighter touch.
That temporary reprieve, however, is set to expire next Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
When pressed by journalists about his intentions for the looming deadline, Trump took to social media on Thursday, February 27, declaring that unless the fentanyl crisis “shows real signs of slowing,” he’ll greenlight the tariffs as planned. “China’s getting hit with an extra 10 percent tariff on the same day,” he noted, pinpointing March 4 as the kickoff.
This follows his earlier move this month to slap a blanket 10 percent duty increase on Chinese imports, a decision that sparked swift counteraction from Beijing.
A U.S. official, speaking to AFP, clarified that this additional 10 percent charge stacks onto the existing one, driven by frustration over “minimal headway” in curbing the flow of fentanyl—a persistent thorn in the administration’s side.
The official added that Washington had to act against all three countries in order to tackle the fentanyl issue.
On Thursday, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concerns over Washington’s earlier 10 percent tariff.
“China firmly opposes this and has taken corresponding countermeasures, which was a necessary move to safeguard its own legitimate rights and interests,” Wang said in a letter to newly confirmed US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
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On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed optimism about engaging directly with President Donald Trump, aiming to sidestep the punitive tariffs he’s dangled over her nation’s exports.
A top-tier Mexican team has descended on Washington, scrambling to hammer out a deal that could shield their economy from the looming trade blow.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that his administration is pulling out all stops to dodge the U.S. duties, promising a swift counterpunch should Trump follow through with the levies next week.
Trudeau has consistently pointed out that Canada’s border contributes a mere sliver—under one percent—of the fentanyl and unauthorized entrants flowing into the U.S., challenging the rationale behind the tariff threats.
The chair of a prominent Canadian business group cautioned that Trump’s saber-rattling over imports has irrevocably reshaped the economic rapport between the two North American allies, casting a shadow over decades of cooperation.
