Trump considers imposing 10 per cent tariff on Chinese imports starting February 1, here's why
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid which presents the deadliest drug threat in the country. US President Donald Trump said he is looking at February 1 as the date for imposing the tariffs.
by Edited By: Anurag Roushan · India TVUS President Donald Trump announced that he is contemplating imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese imports starting February 1 with an aim to curb the trafficking of the lethal drug fentanyl. The synthetic opioid, known for its high addiction potential, is considered as the deadliest drug threat in the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The DEA further stressed that the global supply chain of fentanyl frequently originates with chemical companies in China. The drug is often trafficked through Mexico and Canada before reaching the US, exacerbating the opioid crisis. "We are talking about a tariff of 10 per cent on China based on the fact that they are sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," Trump said on Saturday at a joint news conference at the White House along with Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman.
What did the Trump say on imposing tariffs?
In response to a question, Trump said he is looking at February 1 as the date for imposing the tariffs. "For Mexico and China, we’re talking about approximately 25 per cent (tariffs),” Trump said. He presumably meant to say Mexico and Canada here as he had previously threatened to impose tariffs on the two countries for allowing undocumented migrants and drugs, including fentanyl, to come into the US.
Responding to another query, Trump said he did not "talk too much about tariffs" when he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. “I had that talk with President Xi the other day too, of China. I said we don't want that crap in our country. We've got to stop it. I would have stopped it," he said.
Trump takes over as 47th President
It should be mentioned here that Trump has taken several bold and sweeping decisions as he signed more than 80 executive orders after taking over as the 47th president of the United States on January 20. These orders span a wide range of policy areas, including trade, immigration, national security, and public health. In his inaugural speech, Trump also declared January 20 as "Liberation Day," promising smooth and sweeping changes as he proclaimed, "America’s decline is over" and that the "golden age" of the nation had just begun.
(With AP inputs)