WASHINGTON/SUVA (FBC NEWS/Pacnews) — Fiji and other Pacific countries will now face higher export charges to the U.S. under newly introduced reciprocal tariffs.
Under the new policy, Fiji will face a 32% tariff on its exports to the United States of America.
This in response to the 63% tariff Fiji imposes on American goods.
Other Pacific countries will also see changes in their trade relations with the U.S. as Washington moves to align tariffs more closely with what its trading partners charge.
President Donald Trump announced the tariff adjustments during an event at the White House, where he declared the move as “Liberation Day” for American trade.
“In many cases, the friend is worse than the foe in terms of trade,” he said.
“We subsidize a lot of countries and keep them going and keep them in business.
“Why are we doing this? I mean, at what point do we say you got to work for yourselves,” said Trump.
The policy aims to address what Trump describes as unfair trade practices, ensuring that countries imposing high tariffs on U.S. goods face similar rates in return.
Nauru, Norfolk Island and Vanuatu will face the highest U.S. tariffs at 30%, 29% and 22% respectively as they impose steep rates on American goods.
Meanwhile, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will see smaller increases with tariffs set between 10% and 20%.
Other Pacific countries including the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands and Kiribati will have a 10% tariff, matching what they charge on U.S. imports.
The move is expected to impact trade relations between the U.S. and Pacific countries with businesses and governments now forced to reassess their trade strategies in response to the increased costs.
