Among the key issues flagged in the list is currency manipulation, a charge Trump has often levelled at certain countries for intentionally devaluing their currencies to boost exports while making American goods more expensive overseas.
In a bold move on Sunday, US President Donald Trump released an eight-point list targeting what he calls “non-tariff cheating” by foreign nations — a warning he said could impact diplomatic and trade ties with the United States. The announcement came days after Trump declared a 90-day pause on his broad tariff strategy for all nations except China.
Among the key issues flagged in the list is currency manipulation, a charge Trump has often levelled at certain countries for intentionally devaluing their currencies to boost exports while making American goods more expensive overseas. He also raised concerns over Value-Added Taxes (VATs), which many countries impose on imports but refund on exports, creating an uneven playing field, according to Trump.
The list further highlights practices like dumping goods below cost, export subsidies, protective agricultural standards, counterfeiting, piracy, intellectual property theft, and transshipping goods through third countries to bypass tariffs.
Trump’s 8-point non-traffic cheating:
1. Currency Manipulation
2. VATs, which act as tariffs and export subsidies
3. Dumping Below Cost
4. Export Subsidies and Other Govt. Subsidies
5. Protective Agricultural Standards (e.g., no genetically engineered corn in EU)
6. Protective Technical Standards (Japan’s bowling ball test)
7. Counterfeiting, Piracy, and IP Theft (Over $1 trillion a year)
8. Transshipping to evade tariffs
Trump revisited his earlier claim about Japan’s so-called “bowling ball test” — an alleged technical standard that he argues unfairly blocks US auto exports. “They drop a bowling ball from 20 feet onto the hood of a car. If it dents, the car doesn’t qualify. It’s horrible,” Trump had previously stated in 2018, and reiterated in this warning.
US-China tariff war
Earlier on April 9, Trump made a surprising move by announcing a 90-day suspension of his wide-ranging tariff regime on all nations, except China. The decision came after what Trump described as successful negotiations with over 75 countries that chose not to retaliate against his earlier trade measures. During this pause, a significantly reduced reciprocal tariff rate of 10 per cent would be applied.
According to reports, the rising concerns within the US Treasury Department over instability in the bond market played a critical role in prompting the pause. The administration has reportedly been grappling with growing economic turbulence, particularly stemming from its ongoing trade standoff with China.
While the tariff pause applied to most nations, Trump took a sharply different approach with China. He immediately escalated tariffs on Chinese goods to 125 percent, up from the previous 104 per cent. The rate was later hiked to an aggressive 145 per cent after Beijing hit back in response to Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, intensifying an already volatile trade battle between the two economic giants.
(With inputs from agencies)
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