Philippines watching United States tariff hike

MANILA, Philippines — Following the United States’ move to raise the global tariff on imports to 15 percent, the government said it is keeping a close watch on developments and will continue engaging with its counterparts to maintain strong trade relations.

“We will continue to engage with the US to ensure that our trade and investment relations remain robust,” Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said in a Viber message yesterday.

Finance Secretary Frederick Go also said the US remains an important trade and investment partner.

United States President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 21 that he was raising the temporary tariff on US imports from all trade partners to 15 percent from 10 percent.

Before that, Trump announced the imposition of a 10 percent levy on US imports hours after the US Supreme Court ruled that the reciprocal tariffs were unconstitutional.

The US Supreme Court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority and needed congressional approval for the tariffs imposed last year under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.