US President Donald Trump/WHITE HOUSEFrom the onset of his second term as President of the United States, Donald Trump has been clear about one thing and that is tariffs.
Any country that has tariffs placed on US goods or going against the beliefs of the US has been hit by tariffs including neighbouring Mexico and Canada.
China has also been hit significantly with tariffs and a few weeks ago, it filed a complaint against the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over newly imposed Tariffs.
According to China, the tariff imposed by the US on Chinese goods is inconsistent with set laws on US Tariff agreements.
"China claims that the 10 per cent additional ad valorem duties applied on all goods originating in China, as well as measures with respect to the availability of drawback and duty-free de minimis treatment, which apply to all products of Chinese origin, are inconsistent with US most-favoured-nation obligations under Article I:1 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 and US tariff obligations under Article II:1(a) of GATT 1994,” the WTO said.
Trump said these tariffs, especially for neighbouring Mexico and Canada, as well as China are to protect the US from national security threats.
Trump accused Canada and Mexico of allowing dangerous cartel activity and the influx of lethal drugs flowing into the US.
“The flow of contraband drugs like fentanyl into the United States, through illicit distribution networks, has created a national emergency, including a public health crisis.
“Mexican drug trafficking organizations, the world’s leading fentanyl traffickers, operate unhindered due to an intolerable relationship with the government of Mexico,” Trump said.
In imposing these tariffs, African countries have also not been spared.
Trump said the sweeping tariffs are aimed at levelling the playing field in international trade and countering what he called "cheating" in global trade.
Out of the 54 African countries, at least 25 that trade with the United States received reciprocal tariffs.
Lesotho was the highest hit with 50%, followed by Madagascar at 47%, and Mauritius at 40%.
Botswana, Angola, Libya, South Africa and Algeria each got 37%, 32%, 31%, 30% and 30% respectively.
Trump hit Tunisia with 28%, Côte d'Ivoire and Namibia at 21% each, while Zimbabwe had an 18% tariff imposed on its products.
Zambia and Malawi each received 17% tariffs, Mozambique 16%, Nigeria 14%, Equatorial Guinea and Chad 13% as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon got 11%.
The US President imposed a 10% tariff on goods from Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Since May 2000, Kenya has been exempt from tariffs when exporting to the world's largest economy under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expires this September.
Kenya charges the US a 10 per cent tariff on American goods, including currency manipulation and trade barriers.
