Punitive or gift? How five major savings see new American prices

The new trade rates unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday should have a major global impact and were sentenced by the European Union and other American key allies.

But Trump's latest import taxes can get a different response in China, the leader of which could see them as a gift.

Here, BBC journalists in five major savings examine the nuances of how the announcements are received where they are.

By Katya Adler, publisher of Europe in Brussels

The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke on behalf of all European Union (EU) countries when she said that new tax imports would result in “disastrous” consequences for millions of people worldwide.

She said that there was “no clear path through complexity and chaos” that new prices would be unleashed in the world.

But the Commission has promised to protect EU companies, some of which will be harder than others – such as the German automotive industry, Italian luxury products and French wine and champagne producers.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on an emergency meeting of French business leaders on Thursday.

As the largest single market in the world, the EU can harm in the United States-targeting goods and services, including “Big Tech” like Apple and Meta with countermeasures.

But he says that his goal is not to go up the bet here to persuade Trump to negotiate.

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said on Wednesday evening that even if she considered the wrong prices, everything would be done to try to reach an agreement with the United States.

By Stephen McDonell, Chinese correspondent in Beijing

A price of 54% on Chinese products entering the United States is certainly enormous and will undoubtedly injure Chinese companies trying to sell on this market.

Beijing countermeasures will also injure American companies trying to reach the massive Chinese market.

But, in a way, these Trump movements are also a gift to the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

XI portrays his country as a free trade champion, a multilateral institutions funder, and made comparisons with the other superpower of the world which is considered to be the ransacking of the two.

Last week, the chief of China was seated with heads of management of large international companies, many of whom and the imagery was clear. The United States under Donald Trump = chaos, commercial destruction, self-interest. China under Xi Jinping = stability, free trade, global cooperation.

The Chinese government has already mobilized its state media sector to attack this last tariff cycle of the Trump administration.

People can pamper with the reading by the Chinese Communist Party of the place where the world is located, but whenever Trump takes measures like these, this facilitates the delivery of XI.

And the economic need can bring together many countries in China and further from the United States.

By Chris Mason, BBC political editor in London

The people of the government here had taken a feeling of mood music like the feeling that the United Kingdom was “in the right camp rather than in the bad camp” as a figure told me, but they had no idea in advance what it would mean exactly.

But now we know-a 10% tariff on the United Kingdom exports to the United States.

I detect a feeling of relief among the ministers, but do not be mistaken – they are not delighted. The prices imposed in the United Kingdom will have significant effects, and prices on trade partners of the United Kingdom will have a deep impact on global jobs, industries and trade flows in the weeks, months and years to come.

It will be “extremely disruptive”, as a source of government said.

There is an acute consciousness in particular on the impact on the automotive industry.

Negotiations with the United States on a trade agreement are continuing. I am told that a team of four British negotiators are in “fairly intensive” conversation with their American counterparts who speak remotely, but willing to go to Washington if the signing of an agreement seems imminent.

By Nikhil Inamdar, commercial correspondent in India in Delhi

Asian savings are among Trump's new prices. Americans will have to pay a 46% tax on goods imported from Vietnam and 49% for Cambodia goods.

Relatively speaking, India behaved better.

But a tariff rate of 26% between the two plants is still high and will seriously affect “exports with a high intensity of workforce”, explains Priyanka Kishore of the council decoded in Asia.

“This will probably have an impact on domestic demand and the gross domestic product (GDP)” at a time when the stammer growth already, according to Kishore.

But exports of India electronics could potentially benefit as higher rates on competitors such as Vietnam could cause trade to listen.

It is unlikely that this reduces the overall impact of the negative growth of Trump's salvo.

Unlike Canada, Mexico or the European Union, India has so far adopted a conciliatory approach to Trump and negotiates a bilateral agreement with the United States. If this triggers reprisals in Delhi, will be monitored very closely.

The pharmaceutical industry – which explains the largest industrial exports in India to some $ 13 billion (9.9 billion) per year – however pushes a sigh of relief, because drugs are exempt from these “reciprocal” prices.

By Wycliffe Muia in Nairobi

Trump's “reciprocal prices” are targeting dozens of African countries, including 30% for South Africa and 50% for Lesotho.

Many of these nations are already struggling with the effects of American reductions in foreign aid, which have provided health and humanitarian assistance to vulnerable countries.

South Africa – like some of the other largest economies on the continent, including Nigeria and Kenya – has long been operating open with the United States, and new prices could considerably affect existing economic ties.

It is included in the long list of countries nicknamed the “worst delinquents” who are now faced with higher American prices – recovery for unfair trade policies, says Trump.

“They have bad things in South Africa. You know, we pay them billions of dollars, and we have reduced funding because many bad things happen in South Africa,” he said, before appointing other countries.

In a statement, the South African presidency condemned new prices as “punitive”, saying that they could “serve as a barrier to trade and share prosperity”.