Fact Sheet: Trump imposes tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China

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TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION OF INADEQUACY: The extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes an emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

• Until the crisis is alleviated, President Donald J. Trump is imposing an additional 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on imports from China. A lower 10% duty will apply to energy sources from Canada.

• President Trump is taking bold action to make Mexico, Canada and China live up to their promises to stop illegal immigration and stem the flow of poisonous fentanyl and other drugs into our country.

• The orders make clear that the influx of contraband drugs, such as fentanyl, into the United States through illegal distribution networks has created a national emergency, including a public health crisis. Chinese officials have not taken the necessary steps to stop the flow of precursor chemicals to known criminal cartels and to stop money laundering by transnational criminal organizations.

1. Moreover, Mexican drug trafficking organisations have formed an untenable alliance with the Mexican government. The Mexican government has provided the cartels with a safe haven for the production and transportation of dangerous drugs, which together have led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of American victims from overdoses. This alliance threatens the national security of the United States, and we must eradicate the influence of these dangerous cartels.
2. Mexican cartels operating fentanyl and nitazene synthesis laboratories are also increasingly found in Canada. A recent study has acknowledged the increased domestic production of fentanyl in Canada and its growing influence in international narcotics distribution.

TO USE OUR INFLUENCE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: Previous administrations failed to take full advantage of America's economic position as a tool to secure our borders against illegal immigration and fight the scourge of fentanyl, preferring to let the problems fester.

• Access to the US market is a privilege. The United States has one of the most open economies in the world and the lowest average tariff rates in the world.
• While trade accounts for 67 % of Canada's GDP, 73 % of Mexico's GDP, and 37 % of China's GDP, it accounts for only 24 % of US GDP. However, in 2023, the US merchandise trade deficit was the largest in the world at over $1 trillion.
• Tariffs are a powerful and proven source of leverage to protect national interests. President Trump is using the tools available and taking decisive action that puts the safety of Americans and our national security first.
• Although previous administrations have failed to use the combination of America's exceptional power and its unique role in world trade to advance the security interests of Americans, President Trump has not.

PRESIDENT TRUMP MAKES GOOD ON HIS PROMISE TO STOP THE FLOW OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND DRUGS: When voters overwhelmingly elected Donald J. Trump president, they gave him a mandate to close the borders. That is exactly what he is doing.

• The Biden administration's policies have fueled the worst border crisis in U.S. history.

• Under Biden's leadership, more than 10 million illegal aliens have attempted to enter the United States, including a growing number of Chinese nationals and those on the terrorist watch list.

• This problem is not limited to the southern border - there are a growing number of encounters on the northern border with Canada.

• The steady flow of illegal immigrants has profound consequences for every aspect of our country's life - it is overwhelming our schools, driving down our wages, reducing housing supply and driving up rents, overcrowding our hospitals, draining our welfare system and causing crime.

1. Gang members, smugglers, human traffickers and illegal drugs and narcotics of all kinds flow across our borders and into our communities.
2. It is estimated that federal officials are only able to seize a fraction of the fentanyl smuggled across the southern border. 

• These drugs kill tens of thousands of Americans each year, including 75,000 deaths annually attributed to fentanyl alone.

1. More Americans die annually from fentanyl overdoses than lost their lives during the entire Vietnam War.

TO BUILD ON PREVIOUS SUCCESSES: President Trump continues to demonstrate his commitment to ensuring that US trade policy serves the national interest.

• As President Trump stated in his "America First" presidential memorandum on trade policy, trade policy is a key component of national security.
• President Trump promised in November that "sign all the necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada 25% tariffs on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders. This duty will be in place until drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!".
• During his first term as President of the United States, President Trump established the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis and declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency.
• President Trump has also long advocated putting America first on trade. In his first term, President Trump successfully used the threat of imposing tariffs on Mexico to help secure our border.
• When our national security was threatened by a global oversupply of steel and aluminum, President Trump took swift action to protect America's national security by imposing tariffs on imports of these goods.
• In response to China's intellectual property theft, forced technology transfer and other unreasonable behaviour, President Trump acted forcefully and imposed tariffs on Chinese imports, using this leverage to achieve a historic bilateral economic agreement.
• Just last week, President Trump used tariffs to successfully resolve national security issues with Colombia and quickly achieved a result that prioritizes the safety and security of the American people and the sanctity of our nation's borders.

China urges US to correct its flawed practice of unilateral tariffs

Remarks by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on the US side's announcement of a 10% tariff on Chinese products exported to the United States. A reporter asked that on February 1 Eastern Time, the United States announced that it would impose a 10% tariff on Chinese products exported to the United States. What is the comment from the Chinese side?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the US has imposed 10% duty on Chinese products exported to the United States based on fentanyl, which China strongly disagrees with and resolutely opposes, and will take necessary countermeasures to firmly protect its legitimate rights and interests.

China's position is consistent and firm. There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars. The unilateral imposition of tariffs by the US seriously violates WTO rules and not only fails to solve its own problems, but is also harmful to both sides and not beneficial to the world.

China is one of the countries with the strictest and most thorough drug policies in the world. Fentanyl is an American problem. In the spirit of humanitarianism, China has provided support to the United States in its response to the fentanyl problem. At the request of the U.S., China announced in 2019 that it would officially classify fentanyl-like substances as a whole, making it the first country in the world to officially classify fentanyl-like substances as a whole. The Chinese side has carried out extensive anti-drug cooperation with the United States and achieved remarkable results, which is obvious to everyone. The US should look at its fentanyl issue and deal with it objectively and rationally, instead of threatening other countries with tariffs. Imposing tariffs is not constructive and will inevitably affect and undermine future cooperation between the two sides on the narcotics issue.

China urges the US side to correct its wrong practices, ensure the hard-won good situation of Sino-US cooperation on the fight against drugs, and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of Sino-US relations.

whitehouse/ CMG/ gnews - RoZ