U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer blasted the various retaliatory tariffs the U.S.’ trading partners have advanced in reaction to the Trump administration’s trade policies, calling the tariffs proof of the “complete hypocrisy” of the global trade system.
“[T]he European Union has concocted a groundless legal theory to justify immediate tariffs on U.S. exports. Other WTO Members, including China, have adopted a similar approach. These retaliatory tariffs underscore the complete hypocrisy that governs so much of the global trading system,” Lighthizer said in a statement Tuesday evening.
He added: “When the EU and others falsely assert the U.S. steel and aluminum duties are safeguard measures, and impose retaliatory duties under this pretense, they do great damage to the multilateral trading system. Indeed, they show that they are willing to distort WTO rules to mean whatever they want, whenever they want.”
The statement was in response to stiff, retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods imposed by China, Mexico, Turkey, and the European Union following U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum imports. The administration has also announced $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods and proposed an additional $200 billion on top of that, following Chinese threats of retaliation. Trump threatened the EU Friday with a 20 percent tariff on all cars cars. The administration has defended the various tariffs as necessary to protect national security by maintaining a strong industrial sector.
The administration’s aggressive trade policy has put it on the defensive in recent days. News Monday that Harley Davidson would move some production out of the U.S. in order to avoid EU tariffs brought an angry rebuttal from President Trump on Tuesday in which he claimed the motorcycle company was using the trade spat as cover for existing plans to move production.
“They announced it earlier this year. So Harley-Davidson is using (trade) as an excuse, and I don’t like that because I’ve been very good to Harley-Davidson. And they used it as an excuse,” the president said.
