Sydney:
Donald Trump’s 10-percent tariffs on close ally Australia are “not the act of a friend,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday, but added that his country will not retaliate with its own levies.
“This is not the act of a friend,” Albanese told a news conference after Trump’s tariff announcement, saying one-in-four Australian jobs depending on trade.
The centre-left Australian leader, who faces a tightly contested general election May 3, said Australia charged nothing on US imports and should face zero US tariffs.
“These tariffs are not unexpected, but let me be clear, they are totally unwarranted,” he said.
The United States has been Australia’s strongest military ally since World War II, and the two countries have joined with Britain in a deal to provide Australia’s navy with stealthy nuclear-powered submarines.
But the new measures could change how people see their relationship, Albanese said.
“The Australian people have every right to view this action by the Trump administration as undermining our free and fair trading relationship and counter to the shared values that have always been at the heart of our two nations long standing friendship,” he said.
“This will have consequences for how Australians see this relationship,” the Australian leader added.
“These are uncertain times, but Australians can be absolutely certain of this: our government will always stand up for Australian jobs, Australian industry, Australian consumers and Australian values.”
Announcing the tariffs, Trump said Australians were “wonderful people” but accused them of banning US beef while exporting billions of dollars worth of their own beef to America.
“They don’t take any of our beef,” he said.
“They don’t want it, because they don’t want it to effect any of their farmers. And I don’t blame them, but we’re doing the same thing right now starting about midnight tonight, I would say.”
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