Trump Orders 25 Percent Tariff on Most Brazilian Imports as Washington's Trade Pressure Widens

The United States is broadening its use of trade measures to pressure several countries at once. President Trump directed a 25 percent tariff on most Brazilian imports, a step Russian outlet Kommersant reported through Secretary of State Marco Rubio's confirmation that the duties, first proposed a month earlier, would take effect July 22. The order, issued under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, cites what Washington deemed unfair Brazilian trade practices and exempts goods such as coffee, beef, oranges and some energy and aerospace products that officials worried would disrupt supply chains.

The same tool is reshaping policy elsewhere. Australia is moving to add a criminal offense for companies with revenue above 70 million dollars that fail to prevent forced labor in their supply chains, a change The Japan Times reported came after a United States tariff threat tied to labor standards. In Cuba, a United States fuel blockade imposed in January has driven what The Japan Times described as the worst energy crisis in the island's post-revolutionary history, forcing farmers to replace tractors with oxen.

Together the three cases show Washington applying tariffs, sanctions and blockades not only against adversaries directly but to change the conduct of trading partners and third countries.