Republican sends jitters through global markets with his intent to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico, Canada
\n NANTUCKET
\nPresident Joe Biden on Thursday warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on both US neighbours when he takes office in January. \u201cI think it\u2019s a counterproductive thing to do,\u201d Biden told reporters when asked about his successor\u2019s plan.
\n\u201cThe last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships. I think we got them in a good place,\u201d he said during a visit to a fire department in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he is spending his last Thanksgiving holiday as president.
\nTrump sent jitters through global markets on Monday when he announced on social media that one of his first presidential actions would be to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada \u2014 which share a free trade pact with the United States \u2014 and add a 10% tariff on China.
\nPledging that tariffs would only be removed from the US neighbors when illegal immigration and drug trafficking stop, he reaffirmed his intent to use trade as a cudgel against allies and rivals alike.
\nAfter expressing opposition to Trump\u2019s threats in a letter, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke by phone with the Republican president-elect on Wednesday.
\nBoth leaders described the call positively, though there was disagreement in what had actually been discussed.
\nTrump claimed that Sheinbaum had agreed to \u201cstop migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border.\u201d
\nThe Mexican president quickly pointed out that she had only explained Mexico\u2019s current \u201ccomprehensive strategy\u201d on migration.
\n\u201cThanks to this, migrants and caravans are attended to before they reach the border,\u201d she said on X.
\n\u201cWe reiterate that Mexico\u2019s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between government and peoples,\u201d she added.
\nWhen asked about the dispute at her daily press conference on Thursday, Sheinbaum said: \u201cI can assure you… that we would never \u2014 we would not be capable \u2014 of proposing that we were going to close the border.\u201d
\nThe Mexican government had warned that Trump\u2019s tariffs would be met with retaliation, potentially endangering American jobs, with Sheinbaum\u2019s economy minister saying it would be \u201ca shot in the foot.\u201d
\nSheinbaum said Thursday that after her talks with Trump, \u201cthere is not going to be a potential tariff war.\u201d
\n\u201cThe important thing was to address the approach he made,\u201d she said, adding that she believed dialogue with Trump would be constructive.
\nBiden on Thursday also talked about the importance of maintaining a working relationship with China.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve set up a hotline between President Xi and myself, as well as our military, a direct line,\u201d Biden said, adding he was \u201cconfident\u201d that his Chinese counterpart \u201cdoesn\u2019t want to make a mistake.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not saying that he is our best buddy, but he understands what\u2019s at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Republican sends jitters through global markets with his intent to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico, Canada NANTUCKET President Joe Biden on Thursday warned against damaging relations with Canada and Mexico, after Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on both US neighbours when he takes office in January. \u201cI think it\u2019s a counterproductive thing to do,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":446536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-446514","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n