Will Trump tariffs on China impact Middle East and North Africa?
Universal tariffs could ensnare some US-MENA trade, but potential global economic turmoil might also provide states in the region with opportunities to diversify trade relations.
As Middle Eastern leaders prepare for Trump 2.0, many of their counterparts elsewhere are bracing for the US president-elect’s promises to impose sweeping tariffs that could roil the global economy and reshape trade ties. China, in particular, is in the crosshairs.
Trump campaigned on pledges to slap universal tariffs ranging from 10% to 20% on all US imports as well as tariffs from 60% to 100% on Chinese goods. He claims such tariffs will boost US manufacturing, create jobs and generate revenue to help pay for tax cuts, but his plans have also conjured fears of retaliatory tariffs that could escalate into a global trade war.
Since winning reelection, Trump has only upped the stakes. On Nov. 25, he pledged that on his first day in office he would impose a 25% tariff on all products entering the United States from Canada and Mexico while also floating an additional 10% tariff on China. The latter would add to a range of import duties on Chinese products that increased under President Joe Biden, including a hike this year in the tariff rate on Chinese electric vehicles from 25% to 100%.
On Nov. 30 on Truth Social, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on BRICS nations if they attempt to launch their own currency to compete with the US dollar. The economic bloc includes Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates along with Brazil, China, Ethiopia, India, Russia and South Africa. Turkey was recently offered “partner country" status by BRICS as part of a transition process for joining the bloc, but it is unclear whether Ankara has accepted the offer.
