On July 5, according to CCTV News, on July 4 local time, US President Trump stated that the US government will begin sending letters to trade partners, setting new unilateral tariff rates. Trump said the new tariffs will "most likely" take effect from August 1.
Trump said that starting from the 4th, the US will send letters to multiple countries, expecting "10 or 12" to be sent that day, with more letters to be sent in the coming days. Trump said he expects all these letters to be delivered by the 9th. Previously, Trump had set July 9 as the deadline for tariff negotiations.
Regarding the new tariffs to be set, Trump said, "Tariff rates may range from 60%, 70% to 10%, 20%." Trump stated, "We have completed the final text, which will basically specify how much these countries will pay in tariffs."
CNN reported that it is currently unclear which countries will receive these letters, but Trump has previously "criticized" certain trade partners, including the EU and Japan, for being too tough in negotiations. Trump had threatened this week to send a letter to Japan, which he called "spoiled", setting its tariff rate as high as 35%.
