AFP :
China and Mexico lashed out on Tuesday after Donald Trump threatened to begin his presidency with an immediate trade war against the top three US economic partners.
Trump made his threat in social media posts, announcing huge import tariffs against neighbors Canada and Mexico and also rival China if they don’t stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling into the United States.
China responded that “no one will win a trade war,” while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that “for every tariff, there will be a response in kind.”
A Canadian government source said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Trump and had a “productive” discussion, without giving further detail.
Such tariffs threaten to disrupt the global economy, deepen already fierce tensions with China and upend relations with the United States’ two huge neighbors.
Nervous stock markets saw “volatile trading conditions” as they digested the news, said Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at City Index.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump said late Monday that he would enact the tariffs the moment he takes office on January 20 if his — vaguely worded — demands were not met.
The posts signal Trump’s intention to return to the governing style of his first presidency, when he regularly shocked Washington and US partners with abrupt, major policy shifts which he announced on social media.
