The United States on Thursday said it was pushing ahead with tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, setting the stage for a possible trade war with some of America’s top allies.
The move, which President Trump has threatened for months, is likely to provoke retaliation from the EU, which has pledged to counter with tariffs on American staples including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Levi’s jeans and bourbon whiskey.
Trump in March announced global tariffs of 25 percent on imports of steel, and 10 percent on aluminum, citing national security concerns, but has delayed enacting them for some countries, giving them time to offer concessions.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters in a telephone briefing that the tariffs would go into effect at midnight.
“We look forward to continued negotiations, both with Canada and Mexico on the one hand, and with the European Commission on the other hand, because there are other issues that we also need to get resolved,” he said.
Ross offered little detail about what the EU, Canada and Mexico could do to have the tariffs lifted.
With Reuters