Key Takeaways
- Australian PM Anthony Albanese calls Trump’s 10% tariffs ‘completely unwarranted’.
- Reciprocal tariffs would be zero, not 10%.
- The US will impose a 10% tariff on all foreign imports on April 5, and higher tariffs for countries with the largest trade deficits will take effect on April 9.
Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the 10% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on Canberra “completely unjustified.”
“For Australia these tariffs are not unexpected, but let me be clear: they are totally unwarranted. President Trump refers to reciprocal tariffs. A reciprocal tariff would be zero, not 10%. The administration’s tariffs have no basis in logic. Two nations’ partnership is being ignored. This is not the act of a friend,” Albanese said on Wednesday.
The prime minister also added that his government would not seek to introduce reciprocal tariffs.
On Wednesday, Trump announced the introduction of reciprocal tariffs on imports from other countries. The base rate will be 10%, but as Trump noted, the US will charge approximately half of the tariffs that other countries impose on American goods. Later, the White House said that the US will impose a 10% tariff on all foreign imports on April 5, while higher tariffs for countries with the largest trade deficits will take effect on April 9.
