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Investing.com - Nothing will stop U.S. President Donald Trump’s expanded and sweeping 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum until domestic production is strengthened, according to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Lutnick added in an interview with the Fox Business Network that copper will also be placed on the list of metals covered by the levies, which came into effect on Wednesday and apply to any country importing the materials into the U.S.
The comments come as Canada, the largest supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S., said it will slap retaliatory tariffs on C$29.8 billion worth of the U.S. goods in response. The tariffs, which cover steel, aluminum and other items, are due to be imposed from 12:01 AM on March 13.
In a statement, Ottawa said additional products affected by the countermeasures will include tools, computers and servers, display monitors, water heaters, sport equipment, and cast-iron products.
"The world is reacting against these unjustified tariffs. But let me be clear, this is not something that we want to do. This is not something that we like to do, but it’s something that unfortunately, we are being forced to do," said Canadian Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, according to Reuters.
Lutnick said that he plans to hold a meeting with Ontario Premier Doug Ford in order to find a way to "lower the temperature" between the U.S. and Canada.
However, he noted that he will wait until Mark Carney, who is due to succeed Justin Trudeau as Canadian Prime Minister, is formally installed in the position until beginning talks on a national level.
On Tuesday, Trump threatened to double import duties on Canadian steel and aluminum imports in response to a 25% levy imposed by the province of Ontario on electricity exports to the U.S. However, Ontario later dropped the trade tax and Trump backed down from his warning.
The incident marked the latest twist in an on-again, off-again series of import tariffs on Canada by the White House. Last week, Trump suspended 25% levies on most goods from Canada and Mexico until April 2, but said at the time that the steel and aluminum levies would still come into effect.
European response
Elsewhere, the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, said it "regrets" the U.S. decision to impose the steel and aluminum tariffs, saying they would be "disruptive to transatlantic trade," harmful to business and consumers and result in higher prices.
The Commission said it would adopt two-part countermeasures in response. The first step will see the Commission allow the suspension of previous retaliatory tariffs to lapse on April 1, a move that officials said would respond to "economic harm" done to 8 billion euros in EU steel and aluminum exports.
Brussels also vowed to place fresh tariffs on U.S. exports from next month as an answer to new American levies slapped on more than 18 billion euros in EU exports.
"The European Union must act to protect consumers and business. The countermeasures we take today are strong but proportionate," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a statement.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry has said it would push to protect its interests and a top official in Japan warned that the trade taxes could imperil economic ties with Washington.