Trump threatens tariffs on Canadian cars

Washington, Aug 28 (IANS) US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canadian-made cars, accusing the neighbouring country of treating the United States badly and saying Washington did not want Canada producing vehicles for the American market.

“We’re going to be doing tariffs on their cars,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office event.

“Because we don’t want them to make cars for America,” he said.

Trump offered no details about the proposed tariff rate or when the new duties could take effect.

“Canada treat us very badly,” he said.

The tariff threat came as Trump signed an executive order directing the US government to refer to Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.

“Canada is ripping us off on trade,” Trump said during the signing ceremony, according to a foreign press pool report.

“They want to be treated like a state but we can’t do that anymore,” he added.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller were present during the Oval Office event.

The White House described the executive order as an action “honouring the American history of the Great Lakes and renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America”.

The administration did not immediately explain how the new name would be used in dealings with Canada, which shares the lake with the United States.

Trump also addressed several foreign-policy issues during his exchange with reporters.

On the devastating floods in Nepal, the President said Washington had contacted the Nepalese government and offered assistance.

“We’ve called Nepal and offered any help that they need,” Trump said, describing the disaster as “brutal”.

The United States has announced emergency assistance and the deployment of a disaster-response adviser following the floods.

Turning to Iran, Trump said Tehran remained under severe economic and military pressure despite the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’re not paying their troops. They’re in deep trouble,” he said.

Trump later said Iran had “very little capacity” and cautioned that the opening of the strait did not mean US military action had ended.

“It doesn’t mean we finished with the military,” he said.

The President ruled out immediate negotiations with Tehran.

“There’s not a lot to speak with Iran, we are not looking to meet or anything, the strait is open,” he said.

Asked whether he would punish Russia if Moscow refused to reduce its ties with Iran, Trump said the decision would depend on Russia’s conduct.

“I think Russia has behaved quite well — so far regarding the Strait of Ormuz,” he said.

Trump also dismissed concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack on NATO territory.

“He’s not going to be attacking,” Trump said.

Asked whether Washington was considering sanctions against Chinese banks, Trump replied: “Who says I’m not?”

“I don’t have to announce everything,” he added.

The United States and Canada have one of the world’s most integrated automotive industries. Vehicles and components frequently cross the border during production, while trade in the sector is governed primarily by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which took effect in July 2020.

–IANS

lkj/rs