“I have the absolute right to impose new ones”: Donald Trump relaunches the war on customs duties

US President Donald Trump affirmed on Sunday that he had the “absolute right” to reinstate customs duties, after his customs surcharges were overturned by the Supreme Court. “I have the absolute right to impose TARIFFS in another form, and I have already begun to do so,” he wrote on his Truth Social network, in an apparent allusion to the trade investigations launched by his administration, and as he established 10% customs duties by executive order.

The United States launched a new round of trade investigations on Thursday to check for possible failures in the fight against forced labor that could justify new customs duties targeting 60 countries, including those of the European Union (EU), China and Japan. While at the same time it seeks the support and support of these same countries in the conflict in the Middle East, in particular to unblock the passage of the Strait of Hormuz and facilitate the circulation and trade of oil.

Donald Trump’s remarks were published a few hours after Beijing urged the United States to “immediately correct (their) erroneous actions” in trade matters, while a new round of negotiations was initiated between the two largest economies on the planet.

These investigations are a “totally unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory act, they constitute a typical act of protectionism”, underlined the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

China-United States meeting

Senior American and Chinese officials met this weekend in Paris to try to resolve trade disputes which gave rise to a bitter battle in 2025, before a truce agreed in October.

The United States Supreme Court also invalidated on February 20 all of the large-scale international customs duties imposed by Donald Trump. He immediately reinstated it by decree, at a rate of 10%.

“The Court knew my position, knew how much I wanted this victory for our country, and yet decided to cede, potentially, trillions of dollars to countries and companies that have taken advantage of the United States for decades,” Donald Trump lamented Monday.

The new Sino-American discussions are supposed to prelude a visit to China by President Donald Trump, announced by the White House for the end of March-beginning of April, but not confirmed by Beijing.