WASHINGTON– U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an additional 10 percent tariff on countries that, in his words, “align themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS,” escalating trade tensions amid a growing global rift between developed and emerging economies.
The declaration was made via Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social. In his statement, Trump said:
“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
In a follow-up post, Trump added that formal tariff notifications and trade deal proposals would begin going out to relevant countries starting Monday afternoon:
“I am pleased to announce that the UNITED STATES TARIFF Letters, and/or Deals, with various Countries from around the World, will be delivered starting 12:00 P.M. (Eastern), Monday, July 7th.”
The announcement comes as BRICS leaders meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a summit focused on increasing economic coordination and strategic integration among member nations. The expanded BRICS bloc now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran.
In a joint statement, BRICS leaders expressed “grave concern” over what they called the “indiscriminate rise in tariffs” and unilateral trade measures, specifically criticizing actions that violate World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
“We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules,” the statement read.
The bloc also condemned protectionist trade practices disguised as environmental initiatives, asserting that such measures disproportionately harm developing economies.
“The proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and non-tariff measures, or protectionism under the guise of environmental objectives, threatens to further reduce global trade and disrupt global supply chains,” the leaders said, without directly naming any specific countries or organizations such as the European Union.
Trump’s latest tariff policy marks a significant escalation in his administration’s hardline trade strategy and signals further complications in U.S. relations with emerging economies aligned with BRICS. (Source: IANS)
