U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 accused South Korea and Japan of imposing non-tariff barriers that restrict American car exports, as he announced his administration’s plan for reciprocal tariffs.
“Perhaps worst of all are the non-monetary restrictions imposed by South Korea, Japan, and very many other nations,” Trump said in a speech at the White House Rose Garden. “As a result of these colossal trade barriers, 81% of the cars in South Korea are made in South Korea. Ninety-four percent of the cars in Japan are made in Japan.”
He criticized what he called an uneven playing field in auto trade. “Toyota sells 1 million foreign-made automobiles into the United States, and General Motors sells almost none. Ford sells very little. None of our companies are allowed to go into other countries,” he said.
Trump also suggested that U.S. allies were sometimes worse than rivals when it came to trade practices. “Friend and foe, and in many cases the friend is worse than the foe in terms of trade,” he said.
On agricultural trade, he claimed South Korea imposes tariffs ranging from 50% to 513% on U.S. rice imports.
While South Korea does apply a 513% tariff on rice imports exceeding its tariff-rate quota (TRQ), a lower duty applies to a set volume of imports. Under the TRQ system, 408,700 metric tons of rice are subject to a 5% tariff, with the United States allocated 132,304 metric tons under the arrangement.
