President Donald Trump said Thursday that he intends to impose an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from China, starting next week on Tuesday, March 4.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said the new tariff – which comes on top of a 10% levy imposed earlier this month – is a punitive response to China’s role in the fentanyl trade.
“Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very high and unacceptable levels. A large percentage of these Drugs, much of them in the form of Fentanyl, are made in, and supplied by, China,” Trump said.
Trump also repeated his threat to hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs, in part due to their alleged roles in the illegal drug trade. Trump announced those tariffs earlier this month but delayed them for 30 days to give the countries time to respond to Trump’s complaints. Although both countries pledged to take steps to combat the drug trade and illegal immigration, it appears that their responses were unsatisfactory and the tariffs will take effect on March 4. (Yesterday, at his Cabinet meeting, Trump suggested that the tariffs on Canada and Mexico would take effect on April 2, but that date may apply instead to a new set of tariffs on countries in the European Union.)
According to The Wall Street Journal, Mexico is a major source of illegal fentanyl being smuggled into the U.S., and Mexican cartels often use chemical ingredients made in China. Some bootleg drugs are also made in Canada, but in much smaller quantities. Recent government data indicates that about 240 people are killed by fentanyl overdoses every day in the U.S., with about 86,900 fatal overdoses in the 12-month period ending September 2024.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the tariff threat Thursday, saying she hoped they could be avoided. “As you know, he has his way of communicating,” she told reporters at a press conference, referring to Trump, “but as usual, we have a cool head and optimism that we can reach an agreement.”
Neither Canada nor China has responded to Trump’s latest threat. Chinese officials are reportedly focused on a broader trade deal with the U.S. rather than the narrower issue of bootleg drug production and trafficking, and believe the county can handle the new tariffs, in part by shipping exports through other counties.