U.S. President Donald Trump shows an executive order on "reciprocal tariffs" at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on April 2, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Amid widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

All imports would be subject to 10 percent additional tariffs, except as otherwise provided, the executive order said. This will take effect on April 5.

Trump will impose an "individualized reciprocal higher tariff" on the countries and regions with which the United States "has the largest trade deficits," according to a White House document. This will take effect on April 9.

Some goods will not be subject to the reciprocal tariff, including steel and aluminum, as well autos and auto parts already subject to Section 232 tariffs, copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber, the White House noted.

For Canada and Mexico, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) compliant goods will continue to see a 0 percent tariff, non-USMCA compliant goods will see a 25 percent tariff, and non-USMCA compliant energy and potash will see a 10 percent tariff, according to the White House.

In his speech at the White House Rose Garden, Trump presented a chart on "reciprocal tariffs." The chart shows that different countries and regions face different tariff rates.

For example, China will face a 34-percent tariff, the European Union 20 percent, Vietnam 46 percent, Japan 24 percent, India 26 percent, South Korea 25 percent, Thailand 36 percent, Switzerland 31 percent, Indonesia 32 percent, Malaysia 24 percent, and Cambodia 49 percent.

Trump claimed that other trading partners impose "non-monetary barriers" on the United States. The chart illustrates the tariff rates "charged" by different countries or regions to the United States, including "currency manipulation" and "trade barriers."

"There is no basis for the claimed tariff-equivalent rates imposed by other countries. This is pure invention," Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Xinhua.

Despite Trump's claim that higher tariffs will help bring in revenue for the government and revitalize U.S. manufacturing, economists have warned that such measures will push up prices for U.S. consumers and businesses, disrupt global trade, and hurt global economy.

"The move was a significant escalation of Mr. Trump's trade fight and is likely to ripple through the global economy, driving up prices for American consumers and manufacturers while inciting retaliation from other nations," The New York Times reported.

"The tariffs announced are at the extreme end of forecasts," said Hufbauer. "Plus rabid characterization of foreign countries ... Hard to see the U.S. avoiding a recession. World growth will be down 1 percent or more," he said.