Penguins will also pay: Trump has imposed duties against uninhabited territories

On Wednesday, April 2, US President Donald Trump made important statements that provoked a strong reaction in the world. Firstly, he announced the introduction of a state of emergency in the country to strengthen national and economic security, and secondly, he announced the introduction or increase of tariffs for almost all countries and territories: 183 out of two hundred existing ones. The American leader presented the entire list of states and territories subject to the new tariffs, including even the uninhabited islands of Heard and McDonald. For more information about the new US duties, the state of emergency, as well as the global reaction to the decision of the American leader, see the Izvestia article.

US duties and the state of emergency: what is known

On Wednesday, April 2, US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on goods from 183 countries. At the top of the list is China, the main importer to America, and Ukraine is also on it. Russia is not on the list. The full list of countries, as well as the size of tariffs, were published on the official page of the White House on the social network X. The new tariffs will take effect on April 9th.

As the American leader explained, the tariffs are being introduced in order to "help restore the economy and prevent fraud." In addition, Donald Trump imposed a state of emergency in the country due to the economic situation and the trade deficit.

The United States is one of the world's leading importers of goods. As of December 2024, the United States exported $166 billion and imported $285 billion, resulting in a negative trade balance of $119 billion.

As noted in the president's message, all this has led to the devastation of the production base in the United States, the lack of incentives to increase production capacity, the undermining of critical supply chains and the dependence of the American military-industrial complex "on foreign adversaries." Trump said he "doesn't want other countries to use the United States for personal gain," and the duties will be a way to ensure fair trade, protect workers, and reduce trade deficits.

The date of April 2, according to Trump, should go down in history as "the day of the revival of American industry."

The base amount of duties that were imposed against countries is 10%, it is set, for example, for goods from Ukraine, but for some countries it turns out to be significantly higher. Among the territories included in the list, there is also the European Union, for which the tariff will be 20%, and for China — 34%.

It is important to note that for a number of states that were called "malicious violators" by the Trump administration, the tariffs will still be half the duties that these countries charge on American goods. So, according to the White House, China is charging America a tariff of 67%, and the US will be 34%, the EU, according to Trump, is charging 39%, and the US is requesting 20%. However, according to experts, the figures in the column of duties of foreign countries more reflect the skew of exports and imports with a specific country, rather than the actual size of tariffs.

One of the unexpected items on the list were the islands of Hurd and McDonald near Antarctica, which are uninhabited. As explained by the representative of the White House, this was done due to the fact that they are the territory of Australia.

Trade Warrior: How new US duties will affect the global economy

Donald Trump announced the introduction of fees for all products supplied to the United States.

Why did the United States not impose duties on Russia

The Russian Federation was not included in the list of countries against which the United States imposed duties for several reasons:

— low volume of imports;

— existing tariffs for Russian supplies in the amount of 35 to 200%;

— goods that are not covered by these measures are strategically important for the United States.

Russia supplies fertilizers, platinum group metals, and jet engine parts to the United States.

Market reaction to US duties

It is already known that oil prices fell by about 3% after the announcement of duties by Donald Trump. Brent fuel futures fell by 2.63%, while West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell by 2.8%.

At the same time, the duties caused the markets to fall. Thus, the Japanese Nikkei index fell to an eight-month low, while the Chinese yuan updated its seven-week low.

The US dollar index also showed a decrease of 0.62% to 102.724 points (as of 09:12 Moscow time) and was at this level for the first time since October 9, 2024. Later, the decline accelerated, and by 09:38 Moscow time, the index was at around 102.524 points (-0.81%).

There was also a drop in US stock index futures quotations by more than 2%.

Reaction to US tariffs in the world

Many countries reacted to the news about the introduction of "mirror" tariffs by the United States. In Kazakhstan, for example, they announced that they would initiate consultations with the United States on the possibility of non-application of additional duties.

Reinette Klever, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, stated: "Higher U.S. duties are bad news for both the Netherlands and the United States. I deeply regret this. The Netherlands has always wanted to cooperate with the United States, but as equal partners."

She also added that the EU will respond to this decision if the dialogue does not lead to the abolition of US duties.

Acting German Economy Minister Robert Habeck believes that the US tariffs threaten a recession.

"The duties announced by the United States harm both the European and American economies and international trade. For consumers in the United States, this day will not be "liberation day" but "inflation day." The American tariff mania could set off a spiral that could plunge countries into recession and harm the entire world. With bad consequences for many people," he said.

Acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz added that Trump's tariffs are a blow to the global trade order, and everyone will suffer from this.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin has already ordered the immediate creation of a rapid response team. She will have to study the opinions of representatives of the business community, in particular, large export enterprises focused on the American market. After that, retaliatory measures can be introduced.

In China, they opposed the duties and announced measures to protect their legitimate interests. A corresponding statement was made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun: "Under the guise of reciprocal measures, the United States imposed tariffs on imported goods, including from China, which seriously violates WTO rules and harms the rules-based international trading system."

Despite the fact that many were concerned about the US duties, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced against the background of the news that during the meeting of the foreign ministers in Brussels, not economic problems would be discussed, but the protection of territory against "threats from Russia."

What is known about Heard and McDonald Islands

The uninhabited islands are located in the Indian Ocean and are the territory of Australia. The archipelago is volcanic in origin and is considered one of the most remote land areas in the ocean. The islands are located at a distance of 3.8 thousand km from Australia, and the nearest continent is Antarctica, which is 1.6 thousand km away.

People lived there permanently only in the 19th century and hunted. Now the islands are only rarely visited by tourists or scientists for expeditions. The inhabitants of the islands are birds, seals, as well as various species of penguins (royal, golden-haired and others).