US explains why uninhabited islands subject to customs tariffs
Photo: US imposes duties on uninhabited islands (Getty Images)
The US imposed duties on uninhabited islands. This is aimed at avoiding situations where countries circumvent US trade tariffs, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says.
The uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, located near Antarctica, have been subject to new US customs restrictions.
These islands, which are not inhabited by people but only by penguins, have become the focus of Washington's attention in the context of the fight against circumvention of international trade restrictions.
Lutnick noted that the introduction of duties is intended to avoid situations where countries such as China circumvent US trade tariffs through other states.
In particular, Lutnick recalled how, after the introduction of tariffs on China in 2018, Chinese goods began to enter the United States through third countries, which harmed the American economy.
“The President knows that, he's tired of it, and he's going to fix that,” Lutnick emphasized.
This strategy, he said, is part of a broader policy to correct the US trade deficit.
"It's a national security issue. We need to make medicine. We need to make semiconductors. We need to make ships. We need to have steel and aluminum. Come on, we need the greatness of America to actually be built in America," he added.
Earlier, CNN speculated that the Trump administration could use artificial intelligence to create a list of countries subject to tariffs. However, Lutnick denied this information, noting that not all countries were included in the list.
Trump's tariffs
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree imposing tariffs on the import of goods into the US from many countries. The list includes more than 180 countries. He explained his actions by “unfair tariffs” imposed by other countries on American goods.
For example, Chinese goods were subject to a 34% tariff, EU goods - 20%, India - 26%, and Britain - 10%. The highest duties were imposed on Cambodia (49%), Vietnam (46%), and Sri Lanka (44%). For Ukraine, “basic” duties were introduced - 10%.
At the same time, Russia, Cuba, Belarus, and the DPRK were not affected by the decree. According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the United States does not trade with them.
