A new 10% tariff goes into force today, affecting a number of countries, including the UK. However, this is not the first time Donald Trump has imposed tariffs during his second term as US president. The initial ones targeted key US economic partners, including China, Mexico, and Canada. Trump stated that one reason for introducing the tariffs was to combat the threat of narcotics entering the United States. He initially set them at 20% for China and 25% for Canada and Mexico, before subsequently announcing some exemptions and delays. A separate 25% duty on imported automobiles and auto parts, announced on Wednesday, goes into force today.

Some Republican lawmakers in the United States are supporting a new plan that would require Congress to vote on any new tariffs before they can go into effect. According to the idea, any new tariffs would expire after 60 days unless Congress decides to keep them. The bill was first introduced by Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Maria Cantwell. Republican senators Lisa Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, Jerry Moran, and Thom Tillis co-sponsored the bill yesterday. Don Bacon, a Republican, is expected to offer a similar version in the House. Republicans now retain a majority in the Senate, but it is unclear whether the plan will pass.

An American importer of Chinese wine told Reporters that any US tariffs on China would be "catastrophic" for her firm. Camden Hague was about to start her company, but President Donald Trump's tariffs threaten to derail everything. "We're literally just about to launch this business and launch these wine makers here in America, and I'm worried that I won't be able to reorder because the math won't add up," she tells me. She calls Trump's goal of creating more American employment through tariffs "an illusion". "I'm attempting to live the American dream. I am a young American business owner. I discovered an incredible possibility and am working hard to make it a reality in the market. And this is literally preventing that from occurring.

Taiwan is now subject to a new 32% tariff after being listed as one of the "worst offenders" in Donald Trump's most recent round of tariffs, along with China. A political scientist said the move has caused "a lot of disappointment, shock and anxiety" in Taiwan. Wen-Ti Sung says that the new tariffs "could mean as much as a 3.8% reduction" in the quantity of exports that now account for "two-thirds of Taiwan's GDP" on BBC Radio 4's Today program. "One reason why Taiwan's trade to the US grew so much," according to him, "was precisely because Trump 1.0 launched decoupling economically from China" as "Taiwan tried to be supportive... provided a lot more... to step up to fill the void" . According to Yu Jie, a senior research associate at Chatham House, China is increasing its own tariffs in retaliation after anticipating that the US would do so, with the goal of "mutual destruction." The US will impose a 54% tariff on Chinese imports as a result of the new measures. Although "consumers will have to bear the consequences," Yu claims that US President Donald Trump's plan to "cripple Chinese manufacturing" will assist "speed up the decoupling" between the two nations. The US's "security influence" in Asia may be weakened if more of the continent becomes dependent on China, she continues.