Shipping containers are loaded and unloaded onto ships at the Port of Los Angeles, California, on July 9, 2025. Photo: VCG

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday local time unleashed a flurry of tariff-related moves, including revisions to previously proposed duties on copper imports and products from Brazil and South Korea, as well as the termination of a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad, according to media reports. The latest moves, which had sparked a wide range of criticism in those countries, disregard World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and undermine the stability and institutional foundation of international trade, some observers said. 

Trump said on Wednesday the US is still negotiating with India on trade after announcing earlier in the day that Washington would impose a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from the South Asian country starting on Friday, Reuters reported. 

The tariff, as well as an unspecified penalty announced by Trump in a morning social media post, would strain relations with India, according to Reuters.

Some Indian politicians and observers said that the tariffs will hurt the economic interests of India. 

"In the interest of India, the BJP should try and negotiate a trade deal that is good for Indian manufacturers and farmers, so far they haven't done that," economist Surjit Bhalla and former executive director for IMF for India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, was quoted as saying in a report by India Today on Thursday.

As Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on most Brazilian goods, president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil was willing to negotiate on trade with the US, but that it would not give up on the tools it had at hand to defend itself, hinting that retaliation was possible, Reuters said. 

South Korea's presidential office announced on Thursday that it had reached a tariff agreement with the US. The planned 25 percent reciprocal tariff, set to take effect on Friday, will be reduced to 15 percent, the Chosun Daily reported. 

The auto tariff was also set at 15 percent, while rice and beef markets will not be further opened, the South Korean media said. 

Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, was quoted as saying in the media report that the 15 percent of auto tariff was "disappointing."

When asked about the trade deal struck between the US and South Korea, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China has always advocated for resolving trade and economic differences through equal dialogue and consultation, maintaining a sound international trade and economic cooperation environment, and abiding by the rules of the WTO. 

Disruption of global trade 

Washington's actions in effect undermine the multilateral rules-based system and attempt to establish a unilateral trade framework centered on the US — an approach that lacks any legitimacy, Huo Jianguo, a vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.  

"While these tariffs may lead to a short-term increase in US tax revenues, they will also trigger inflation and exacerbate domestic tensions. This should serve as a warning for the US economy," Huo said. 

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday raised its global growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026 slightly, citing stronger-than-expected purchases ahead of an August 1 jump in US tariffs and a drop in the effective US tariff rate to 17.3 percent from 24.4 percent, Reuters reported. 

It warned, however, that the global economy faced major risks including a potential rebound in tariff rates, geopolitical tensions and larger fiscal deficits that could drive up interest rates and tighten global financial conditions, per Reuters. 

According to the global economic and trade friction index for May released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) on Thursday, the US ranked first for the 11th consecutive month in terms of the total value involved in global trade friction measures. 

US actions, including tariff measures, trade remedy measures, and import-export restrictions, topped the list and have been the main driver behind the sustained high levels of the global trade friction index, according to the CCPIT. 

Unlike previous US trade frictions that mostly targeted specific countries, US' latest tariff measures are global in scope, and not only increase pressure on traditional rivals like China but also affect pro-US countries such as South Korea - nations with which the US previously had no major trade conflicts, Xin Qiang, a deputy director of the Taiwan Studies Center at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Even the duty-free exemption for low-value shipments has been revoked. This indiscriminate approach is highly unusual and reflects an increasingly aggressive policy direction under Trump's push to revive so-called 'Made in America'," Xin said. 

Negotiation and compromise

Some Indian media described the latest tariff imposed by the US as "a double whammy" for the country, as the move comes at a time when Indian exports are already under pressure and global demand remains uneven.

"It also marks a sharp deterioration in bilateral negotiations that had, until recently, appeared to be progressing toward a limited trade understanding," India Today said. 

Although India previously attempted to reduce its trade surplus with the US by purchasing American oil, gas and weapons, this did not achieve the US' goal of opening up the Indian market. Tariffs became a powerful tool in the hands of the Trump administration, Tian Guangqiang, an assistant research fellow with the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"As a result, Trump continues to use tariffs to pressure India into accepting US demands. While Trump did value the US-India relationship, his transactional approach meant that India would not be exempt from pressure — especially as India's strategic dependence on the US increased, leading to more and tougher demands from Washington," Tian said. 

On the trade deal between South Korea and the US, although South Korean President Lee Jae-myung welcomed the agreement, as reported by some South Korean media, the announcement has raised concerns over its accuracy and completeness, and some details of the agreement remain ambiguous, with differing interpretations from both sides about what was actually agreed upon behind closed doors, the Korea Times reported. 

South Korea is an export-driven economy, with automobiles and auto parts forming the core of its industrial base, Park Seung-chan, chairman of The Federation of Korea-China, told the Global Times on Thursday. "In the face of the US threat to impose a 15 percent tariff, the South Korean government's fundamental position is that it 'must protect the automobile and auto parts sector,' which is vital to the nation's economic lifeline." 

Under the current landscape of global competition, it would be difficult for South Korea to maintain its competitiveness if it cannot be on an equal footing with Japan and Europe in terms of tariffs, Park said. 

Therefore, the South Korean government was compelled to enter into active negotiations in response to Trump's demands, seeking to reach an agreement, Park noted. 

The South Korean observer pointed out that on the surface, these agreements appear to be aimed at "strengthening US-South Korea relations," but many in South Korean academia and the general public are increasingly discontent with what they see as the US' overbearing attitude. 

This incident has deepened South Korean society's realization that "the US is no longer the open and inclusive country it once was." In the long run, such coercive measures are unsustainable and are likely to erode its influence on the global stage, he said.