Additional tariffs introduced by the Trump administration officially entered into force on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 against almost 60 countries. China is the most affected, with a total rate that has finally risen to 104%, after Beijing’s response to the US protectionist offensive. As our map shows, most of the most affected countries are found in Asia, Europe and Africa, with surcharges ranging from +40% to +50% in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Madagascar, Laos, Cambodia and Lesoto, and from +20% to +30% in the European Union, Japan, India, Algeria and South Africa.
Washington had not raised such customs barriers since 1930, when he imposed the Hawley-Smoot tariffs a few months after the 1929 crack. The methodology used by the White House to fix these exorbitant tariffs has been questioned and criticized by numerous observers and economists, including the Nobel Prize Paul Krugman. Incoherences have also been observed in the list of target territories, which includes, for example, uninhabited islands belonging to Australia (Heard Islands and Macdonald).
Finally, some countries, such as Canada and Mexico, are already subject to a specific regime and escape these additional tariffs. However, they are already subject to customs rights on certain products and are not exempt from the additional tax of 25% on cars manufactured abroad. Other countries, such as Russia, Belarus, Cuba and North Korea, are not affected, since they are subject to US sanctions that, according to the White House, are already hindering any significant trade. However, according to US data, the United States imported in 2024 Russian products worth about 3,000 million dollars and exported worth $ 500 million.
Despite a slight rebound on Tuesday night, the bags around the world are still very concerned about the repercussions of this customs war initiated by the United States.