China, the EU, and other countries are expected to retaliate
US President Donald Trump announced expansive new tariffs on April 2, 2025. A baseline 10% tariff will be applied to all imports into the US, with higher rates being applied to around 60 countries, including 34% for China, 20% for the European Union, 27% for India, 24% for Japan, 26% for South Korea, and 46% for Vietnam. The baseline 10% tariff is set to come into effect on April 5, while the higher tariffs will apply from April 9.
Various countries quickly signaled their readiness to implement countermeasures. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU hoped to negotiate a solution with the US, but added that the Union was preparing for further countermeasures in the event that negotiations fail. As reported by CNN, China, Japan, and South Korea have already said that they will respond to the new duties, while some other countries signaled a more conciliatory approach, as noted by the Guardian. At the time of this report, the scope of the potential countermeasures was unclear.
Earlier this week, the INC took part in an online meeting with EU officials for the second time in recent days, as part of ongoing efforts to stay abreast of developments affecting nuts and dried fruits. On the morning of April 2, before Trump’s announcement, officials from the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) heard arguments against the EU’s proposed tariffs on US almonds, as well as against the 25% duties on US dried cranberries and peanut butter that are set to come into effect in mid-April. The meeting, organized by FRUCOM, included associations from the nut and dried fruit sector. The exchange with DG AGRI came after a similar meeting last week with the Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE).
For background information, see the INC’s March 13 rundown of earlier tariff-related developments.