On Thursday, President Trump announced that the proposed 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada would go into effect as scheduled on March 4th. Additionally, Trump made another major announcement, stating that an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods would also be implemented on March 4th, building on the earlier 10% tariff imposed on imports from China on February 4th.
Trump expressed concerns about drugs entering the United States at “very high and unacceptable levels” from these three countries, with a significant amount being deadly opioids such as fentanyl.
Meanwhile, officials from Canada and Mexico are scheduled to meet with Trump administration officials in Washington, DC on Thursday and Friday in an effort to prevent the tariffs from taking effect.
Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican Secretary of Economy, will meet with the new U.S. Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, on Thursday, and with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday.
In Canada, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty stated on Thursday that Canada’s progress in enhancing border security and combating drug smuggling should be satisfactory for the Trump administration.
McGuinty addressed reporters in Washington, DC ahead of two days of talks with U.S. officials, emphasizing the progress made: “The evidence is irrefutable – we are making progress. In my view, any test about the progress Canada has made at the border and meeting standards, I believe those has been met.”
The Canada Border Services Agency announced the launch of a targeted multinational operation to intercept illegal contraband entering and exiting Canada, focusing on fentanyl and other synthetic narcotics.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Greer, Beijing called for resolving economic and trade concerns through equal dialogue and negotiation between China and the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that Beijing is attempting to leverage the crackdown on fentanyl to pressure the Trump administration into canceling tariffs. Rubio provided detailed explanations on Fox News’ morning show “Fox & Friends,” criticizing Beijing for inadequate regulation of fentanyl.
He pointed out that pre-cursor chemicals for fentanyl entering the United States all originate from China, suggesting that Beijing could have acted to stop this flow immediately.
Rubio added, “We can’t prove they’re doing it intentionally, but it certainly looks like that… I mean, they know these people (drug traffickers) are operating, and yet they don’t act. And it seems to me they’re using this as leverage over us.”
The Secretary of State disclosed that China proposed the removal of tariffs as a condition for cooperation on curbing fentanyl. “They say, ‘if you don’t impose tariffs, or take other actions, we will help you solve this problem…'”
(Reference: This article is adapted from a report by Reuters)