Geneva, Apr 4 (EFE).– The United States has overestimated global tariffs on its exports by more than 95 percent to justify sweeping new levies on about 60 countries, according to the International Trade Center (ITC), a United Nations and WTO-d body.
ITC spokesperson Julia Spies said the U.S. Commerce Department used figures that were more than 95% higher than the actual average tariffs imposed on American goods.
“For instance, the average European Union tariff on U.S. products is about 3.5%, yet the U.S. cited it as 39%. Similarly, China’s average is around 5.5%, not the 67% claimed,” Spies said during a press conference in Geneva.
Spies also expressed surprise at the methodology used by U.S. officials, which appears to factor in trade deficits when calculating tariff barriers. “Personally, I had never seen anything like it,” she said.
She noted that several low-income countries — including Lesotho, Cambodia, Laos, Madagascar, and Myanmar — were targeted with new tariffs exceeding 45%, despite their heavy reliance on U.S. markets.
“Cambodia, for example, sends 35% of its total exports to the United States,” she said.
The ITC warned that such tariffs could also raise prices for U.S. consumers while forcing smaller economies to diversify their markets.
“Madagascar, known for vanilla, may expand exports to smaller markets like Canada or enter new ones such as Indonesia. While this won’t fully offset the losses from reduced access to the U.S., it would help lower exposure to market shocks,” Spies explained.
She also addressed the likely fallout from a new 25% U.S. tariff on automobiles and auto parts that took effect Thursday, with countries like Japan, Slovakia, and Honduras among the most exposed.
“Our calculations suggest Japan could lose up to $17 billion in exports to the U.S. as a result,” Spies warned, adding that India, Brazil, Vietnam, and Thailand may also be affected.
However, she pointed out that alternative markets — including China, , the Philippines, and Thailand — still offer untapped potential that could eventually offset some of the losses in the American market. EFE
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