U.S. trading partners in Asia recognized new uncertainty Saturday, hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump had imposed to start a global trade war.
The court’s ruling invalidated some of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Asian countries exporting from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world’s largest manufacturers of electronic chips and key players in the technology supply chain.
Within hours, President Trump confirmed a new 10% tariff on U.S. imports from all countries for the first 150 days starting Tuesday under separate legislation, with analysts warning of possible further action that could cause further disruption for businesses and investors.
Japan’s declaration
A Japanese government spokesperson said that the Japanese government will “carefully consider the content of this ruling and the Trump administration’s response to it, and will respond appropriately.” China, which is preparing to welcome President Trump in late March, did not issue any official comment or take any countermeasures, citing the long holiday in China. But a senior financial official in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong described the U.S. situation as a “terrible failure.”
Because the U.S. government imposes tariffs on mainland Chinese exports, tariffs on products made in Hong Kong are generally lower, allowing the city to keep trade flowing amid rising tensions between China and the United States.
Taiwan’s government said it was closely monitoring the situation, noting that the US government had not yet decided how to fully implement its trade agreements with many countries.
“Although the initial impact on Taiwan is expected to be limited, the government will closely monitor developments, understand the specific implementation, and maintain close contact with the United States to respond appropriately,” the cabinet statement said.
Taiwan recently signed two agreements with the United States. The first was a memorandum of understanding last month in which Taiwan committed to investing $250 billion, and the second was signed this month to reduce counter-tariffs.
America’s trading partners in Asia are looking today (Saturday) to assess new uncertainties after US President Donald Trump pledged to impose new tariffs on imports, just hours after the Supreme Court struck down many of the sweeping tariffs used to start the global trade war.
The court’s ruling invalidated some of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Asian exporters from China and South Korea to Japan and Taiwan, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer and a major player in the technology supply chain.
Within hours, President Trump confirmed a new 10% tariff on U.S. imports from all countries for the first 150 days starting Tuesday under separate legislation, prompting analysts to warn of the possibility of further action, potentially creating further disruption for businesses and investors.
Japanese statement
A Japanese government spokesperson said that the Japanese government will “carefully consider the content of this ruling and the Trump administration’s response, and will respond appropriately.” China, which is preparing to welcome President Trump in late March, has not made any official comments or taken any countermeasures, citing the long holiday in China. But a senior financial official in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong described the US situation as a “disastrous failure”.
Because the U.S. government imposes tariffs on mainland Chinese exports, tariffs on products made in Hong Kong are generally lower, allowing the city to keep trade flowing amid rising tensions between China and the United States.
Taiwan’s government said it was closely monitoring the situation, noting that the U.S. government has not yet fleshed out how to fully implement trade agreements with many countries.
“Although the initial impact on Taiwan appears to be limited, the government will closely monitor developments, understand the specific implementation, and maintain close communication with the United States to respond appropriately,” the Cabinet statement said.
Taiwan recently signed two agreements with the United States. The first was a memorandum of understanding last month in which Taiwan committed to investing $250 billion, and the second was signed this month to reduce counter-tariffs.
