President Donald Trump began a new phase of his trade strategy by sending the first letters to countries warning of the imposition of higher tariffs, including a 25% levy on products imported from Japan and South Korea, set to take effect on August 1.
Additionally, the president included Malaysia and Kazakhstan in the measure, which will also face a 25% tariff, while South Africa will be subject to a 30% tariff, and Laos and Myanmar will have to pay a 40% tax.
These actions represent the first round of notifications within what Trump described as a series of unilateral warnings and new trade agreements that would begin to be announced this Monday, in the context of the reciprocal tariffs announced by Trump on April 2.
The goal of the U.S. president is to seek equality in trade with other countries, where the United States imposes the same tariffs that other countries impose on it, whether through taxes or non-tariff barriers. "Our relationship has unfortunately been far from reciprocal," Trump stated in the letters sent to the governments involved.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that about a dozen countries will receive similar letters directly signed by the president. She also anticipated that additional notifications will be sent in the coming days.
The new tariffs, also published on the president's Truth Social platform, are generally consistent with those he had already anticipated. Some minor adjustments, such as in the case of Laos and Myanmar, placed them just below the originally planned levels.
