Washington.Donald Trump's new tariffs are"virtually final" and the possibility of an immediate renegotiation is ruled out, said the United States trade representative, Jamieson Greer.
“Many of these tariffs are set under agreements. Some of these agreements are announced, others aren't, and others depend on the level of trade deficit or surplus we have with the country,” Greer told CBS. “These tariff rates are practically fixed,” he added.
Ahead of a Friday deadline, Trump set tariffs that include a 35 percent tariff on many Canadian goods, a 50 percent tariff on Brazil, a 25 percent tariff on India, a 20 percent tariff on Taiwan, and a 39 percent tariff on Switzerland.
These new import taxes will go into effect for most countries on August 7, allowing customs time to prepare for their collection.
In trade talks since Trump returned to office, the White House has lowered some tariffs from the levels initially announced, including halving import tariffs set last week as part of an agreement with the European Union (EU).
However, Greer told CBS that this would not be the case in the most recent round of tariffs.
Regarding Brazil, the trade representative argued that"the president has observed in Brazil, as in other countries, an abuse of the law, an abuse of democracy." "It's normal to use these tools (tariffs) for geopolitical reasons."
Regarding recent trade talks with Beijing, he commented that they had been"very positive" and focused on the supply of magnets and rare earth minerals.
“We're focused on ensuring that the flow of magnets from China to the United States and the surrounding supply chain can flow as freely as before... and I'd say we're about halfway there,” Greer said.
For his part, Trump's chief economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, told NBC that for the eight economies with which the United States has signed agreements, including the EU and Japan, the tariffs"are more or less locked in." While for the dozens of trading partners with whom an agreement has not yet been reached,"we expect negotiations to continue."
