US imposed 19% tariff on Pakistani goods, concession given compared to India’s 25%

WASHINGTON:  The United States has started implementing trade tariffs worldwide from today, and Pakistan has received significant concessions compared to India.

According to a statement issued by the White House, the administration led by US President Donald Trump has imposed different levels of retaliatory tariffs on different countries under the new global trade policy.

Among the main rival countries in South Asia, 19 percent tariffs were imposed on Pakistan and 25 percent on India, thus Islamabad has achieved a diplomatic success in the new US policy.

According to analysts, the reason for the highest concessions to Pakistan in South Asia is the meeting of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir with US President Donald Trump, telephonic contacts between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and important meetings of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in Washington.

According to the White House report, tariffs of 19 percent have been imposed on Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, 25 percent on India, Kazakhstan, Moldova, 30 percent on South Africa, Algeria, Libya, 40 percent on Myanmar and Laos, while the highest tariff of 41 percent has been imposed on Syria.

In addition, the US has increased tariffs on Canada from 25 to 35 percent, while a 15 percent tariff has also been imposed on close allies like Israel.