Nations Criticize Trump's Increased Tariffs, Implement Retaliatory Actions

Several countries have denounced U. S. President Donald Trump's "reciprocal tariffs," saying the move violated the principles of multilateralism and the World Trade Organization rules. Brazil: U. S. trade policy 'won't work' Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday criticized the new tariff regime, saying Washington's attempt to reshape global trade "won't work" and violates the principles of multilateralism. Speaking at an event in Sao Paulo, Lula condemned what he called Washington's unilateral approach to international trade. "All of a sudden, one man thinks he can dictate the rules for everything that happens in the world," Lula said. "No one grabs hold of a fully loaded transatlantic ship and tries to steer it like this. It won't work. " The Brazilian leader also recalled the free trade rhetoric of the 1980s, when then U. S. President Ronald Reagan and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher publicly opposed protectionism. Lula contrasted those earlier stances with what he viewed as the current protectionist turn of the U. S. According to a new poll released by Brazilian research firm Quaest on Tuesday, Brazilians' perception of the U. S. has deteriorated sharply, and nearly half of the population holds an unfavorable view of Trump. The survey found that 41 percent of Brazilians now have a negative image of the U. S. , a steep increase from 24 percent in March 2024, when Trump had not yet returned to the presidency. Favorable views of the U. S. dropped from 58 percent to 44 percent over the same period, creating a near-even split in public opinion. The data marks a significant shift from previous years, when positive sentiment toward the U. S. consistently outweighed negative views. The U. S. has been Brazil's second-largest trading partner since 2009, behind China. In recent weeks, the Trump administration raised import tariffs on Brazilian goods, including a 10-percent tariff on a broad range of products, following earlier hikes on steel and aluminum. Namibia: U. S. should uphold WTO rules Namibia on Tuesday called on the U. S. to adhere to international trade rules and engage transparently with affected countries following Washington's decision to impose new tariffs on imports, including from Namibia. Speaking to lawmakers, Minister of International Relations and Trade Selma Ashipala-Musavyi said the U. S. acted unilaterally when it introduced a new tariff regime via executive order 14257 on April 2. The policy includes a 21-percent "reciprocal tariff" on Namibian exports to the U. S. , set to take effect on April 9. She noted that there had been no consultation or prior engagement with Namibia before the decision was made, which she argued contradicts the principles of the WTO. The minister warned that such unilateral trade measures could violate WTO rules and undermine the multilateral system, potentially harming smaller economies like Namibia. She said Namibia will continue to advocate for a rules-based multilateral trading system and closely monitor the situation through its diplomatic missions. Canada: New countermeasures to take effect  Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne on Tuesday confirmed that Canada's new countermeasures announced last week in response to the U. S. tariffs on the Canadian auto industry will come into effect on April 9. Champagne said Canada would continue to "respond forcefully" to all unwarranted and unreasonable tariffs imposed by the U. S. on Canadian products. "The government is firmly committed to getting these U. S. tariffs removed as soon as possible, and will protect Canada's workers, businesses, economy and industry," Champagne said in a release issued by the Finance Ministry. The countermeasures, announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, include 25-percent tariffs on non-Canada-U. S. -Mexico Agreement compliant fully-assembled vehicles imported into Canada from the United States, and 25-percent tariffs on non-Canadian and non-Mexican content of CUSMA compliant fully-assembled vehicles imported into Canada from the United States.

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