Washington, March 5 (The Hindu) – US President Donald Trump criticised the high tariffs charged India and other countries including China, calling it “very unfair” and announcing reciprocal tariffs will kick in from next month.
In his address to a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, the President said that the reciprocal tariffs will commence April 2.
“Other countries have used tariffs against us for decades and now it’s our turn to start using them against those other countries. On average, the European Union, China, Brazil, India, – Mexico and Canada – Have you heard of them – and countless other nations charge us tremendously higher tariffs than we charge them. It’s very unfair,” said Mr. Trump.
Canada Appeals to WTO
Canada has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States over President Donald Trump’s dramatic tariff increases, the WTO confirmed on Wednesday (March 5, 2025).
Canadian ambassador to the WTO Nadia Theodore wrote on LinkedIn that “the U.S. decision leaves us with no choice”.
She said she had, “on behalf of the government of Canada, requested WTO consultations with the government of the United States in regard to its unjustified tariffs on Canada”.
A WTO official confirmed to AFP that “Canada initiated dispute proceedings yesterday against the US. at the WTO on the additional tariffs”, following a similar complaint filed by Beijing over fresh U.S. levies on Chinese goods.
Shortly after the tariffs on Canadian goods took effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attacked Washington’s “dumb” trade war, and accused Mr. Trump of trying to cause the collapse of Canada’s economy to make it easier for the United States to annex his country.
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