WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jul 8) the US would “pretty soon” charge a 10 per cent tariff on imports from BRICS countries, drawing another complaint from Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who just hosted the bloc’s annual summit.
Trump, who raised the tariff threat on Sunday, said in a Tuesday Cabinet meeting at the White House that the duty was on the way: “Anybody that’s in BRICS is getting a 10 per cent charge pretty soon … If they’re a member of BRICS, they’re going to have to pay a 10 per cent tariff … and they won’t be a member long.”
The BRICS group expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include members such as Iran and Indonesia. Leaders at the summit in Rio de Janeiro voiced indirect criticism of US military and trade policies.
Asked about Trump’s tariff threat, Lula told journalists at the BRICS summit on Monday that the world does not want an emperor.
After a state visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lula on Tuesday expressed further disagreement.
