President Trump on Saturday moved to impose stiff tariffs on Mexico and Canada, whose leaders swiftly responded with their own levies and accused Mr. Trump of starting a trade war that would debilitate all three economies.
Mr. Trump hit Canada and Mexico with tariffs of 25 percent on all goods, with a partial carve out for Canadian energy and oil exports. He said he was imposing them until the flow of migrants and illegal fentanyl into the United States was alleviated, but his administration did little to explain what further steps were needed to remove the tariffs.
The tariffs announced Saturday also placed a 10 percent tariff on goods from China, another major U.S. trading partner. China’s Ministry of Commerce issued a statement saying that China will file a legal case against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization.
The ministry also said China “will take corresponding countermeasures to firmly safeguard its rights and interests.” But it did not mention tariffs or otherwise specify what kind of countermeasures it might take. China has strong incentives to avoid a trade war, but also risks looking weak domestically if it does not retaliate.
The responses from Mexico and Canada to the levies — set to go into effect on Tuesday — were swift.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada later said that Canada planned to initially retaliate with 25 percent tariffs on approximately $20 billion worth of U.S. goods on Tuesday, and $85 billion more within three weeks.
Mr. Trudeau made a direct, emotional plea to Americans that evoked the countries’ close ties and shared history, including Canadian soldiers who fought and died beside American counterparts. He also said that the best way to usher in a golden age for the United States was to partner with Canada, and that Canada has critical minerals and other ingredients that American industry needs to succeed.
“We don’t want to be here,” he said of the tariffs. “We didn’t ask for this.”
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico responded with a statement on social media that pushed back on Mr. Trump’s criticism. She described U.S. suggestions that her government collaborates with drug traffickers as “slander.” She also called on the U.S. to curb its domestic demand for drugs, and proposed more bilateral collaboration on the issue.
Ms. Sheinbaum added that Mexico would implement “tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico’s interests.” But she did not elaborate, and the potential scope of Mexico’s retaliation was not immediately clear.
