Trump, “Non-tariff Misconduct Damages The U.S.”…Directly Points Out 8 Cases
On the 2nd, U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared 'Liberation Day' and announced mutual tariffs by country (Source: EPA)
U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly justified his trade pressure policy, enumerating eight 'Non-tariff wrongdoings' that countries around the world have inflicted on the United States for decades. President Trump emphasized the inevitability of strengthening tariff policy, stating that these measures have caused significant damage to the U.S. economy.
On the 20th (local time), President Trump stated through his social media 'Truth Social' that “Since the declaration of 'Liberation Day' on April 2nd, heads of state and businesspeople are asking me for tariff relief,” and added, “It is positive that everyone recognizes that the United States is serious this time.” He further added, “Unfair trade practices over decades must be corrected, which will not be easy but is an unavoidable process.”
President Trump reiterated his stance that to avoid the tariff burden, one should establish production facilities in the U.S. to create jobs. He said, “The easiest solution is to come to America and make it in America.”
He then specifically listed the eight non-tariff measures he claims other countries have applied to the U.S. The first was 'Currency manipulation', arguing that certain countries have gained unfair benefits through exchange rate policies that weaken U.S. export competitiveness. The second was 'Value-added tax' which provides substantial benefits to exports, and he also pointed out 'Dumping', 'Export subsidies', and 'Government subsidies'.
He also mentioned the European Union (EU)'s ban on genetically modified corn (GMO) imports and Japan's 'Bowling ball safety test' as representative agricultural and technical standards of non-tariff barriers. However, Japan NHK has reported that President Trump's claim about the said test is not true.
President Trump further claimed that counterfeit and pirated goods, as well as intellectual property theft, cause damage amounting to 1 trillion dollars annually to the U.S., and finally, he identified 'Transshipping', which evades tariffs by falsifying the origin and transiting through third countries, as a non-tariff wrongdoing.
President Trump emphasized that such non-tariff measures distort trade order more than tariffs, and stressed that the current pressure strategy must be maintained to rebuild American wealth and implement true reciprocity. The attitude of countries in response to the Trump administration's hardline trade stance is being closely watched.