[Anchor]
As Canada directly confronts President Trump's reckless tariff hikes, trade tensions between the two countries are heating up. Criticism is growing within the United States over Trump's "economic war" that spares not even his closest allies.
Reporting by Yu Deok-gi.
[Reporter]
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he will raise tariffs on Canadian automobiles, auto parts, and steel to 50 percent starting January 1 next year.
Immediately following the breakdown of tariff negotiations on the 21st, the United States imposed a 50 percent tariff on 20 billion dollars' worth of Canadian products, including dairy and alcoholic beverages. When Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products starting on the 8th of next month, Trump responded with additional retaliatory measures.
Trump slammed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Premier of Ontario, who has taken the lead in standing up to Trump, as "clowns," and threatened Canada by reminding them that a significant portion of their electricity, oil, and gas are transported through the United States.
Canada is also refusing to back down, stating that the United States wants to destroy its major industries.
[Mark Carney / Canadian Prime Minister : We cannot accept an attitude at the negotiating table that Canada is a subsidiary of the U.S., nor can we accept our industries being placed at a disadvantage compared to U.S. industries.]
Having endured insulting remarks from Trump, such as Canada being the 51st state of the U.S., a majority of Canadians are supporting the government's hard-line response, evaluating the suspension of trade negotiations with the U.S. as the right decision.
[Doug Ford / Premier of Ontario, Canada : We are going to fight with everything we've got. And the courage and wisdom in my little toe is more than what the (U.S. President) has in his entire body.]
Amid the conflict with its closest ally, criticisms emerged within the U.S. calling it "the most stupid trade war" that "makes no sense economically or politically." Projections also surfaced that lawsuits will be filed against Trump's mobilization of Section 338 of the Tariff Act, a provision that has not been applied even once in nearly 100 years, to implement these tariffs.
Viewing the trade conflict with the U.S. as likely to be prolonged, Canada plans to announce countermeasures, including domestic damage mitigation plans and additional retaliatory tariffs against the U.S.
(Video Editing: Wi Won-yang, Design: Kang Yoon-jung, Lee Jun-ho)
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