Trump's reciprocal tariffs kick in amid recession warnings from economists, Congress pushback

US besieged with calls from countries wanting to strike a deal, officials say

- Bhagyashree Garekar US Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON - The era of cheap Chinese goods in America is over. Steep tariffs kicked in at midnight in Washington on imports from Asia's largest economy amid an outcry from some corporate chieftains, recession warnings from economists and pushback from Congress.

Tariffs of up to 104 per cent on China-made goods took effect at 12.01am Eastern Time on April 9 (12.01pm Singapore time), although US President Donald Trump predicted that China would come to the table to whittle them down.

Reciprocal tariffs - ranging from 11 per cent for Cameroon to 50 per cent for Lesotho - also kicked in on over 50 other nations at the same hour.

The 10 per cent "baseline" that applies to most nations, including Singapore, earlier came into effect on April 5.

A number of senior White House officials said the administration was besieged with phone calls from countries wanting to make a deal, and priority would be accorded to countries that have not retaliated with counter tariffs against the US.

Mr Trump said he had a "great call" with South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo, who was presumably trying to negotiate a lower rate than the 25 per cent imposed on the country.

Mr Trump also said he was waiting to hear from Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don't know how to get it started. We are waiting for their call. It will happen!" he said in a Truth Social post on April 8.

China showed no such inclination. Instead, the country said it will impose an 84 per cent tariff on US goods from April 10, up from the 34 per cent previously announced.

That previously announced retaliatory move had prompted Mr Trump to heap an extra 50 per cent duty on Chinese goods, adding up to tariffs of a whopping 104 per cent.