Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to impose a 10 percent tariff on its ally was “not the act of a friend,” but ruled out reciprocal tariffs against the United States.
Recall that, Trump singled out Australian beef, which saw a surge in exports to the United States last year, reaching 4 billion dollars amid a slump in U.S. beef production.
Australia banned U.S. fresh beef products in 2003 due to the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, otherwise known as mad cow disease, in U.S. cattle.
Albanese said Trump had not banned Australian beef, but had imposed a 10 percent duty on all Australian goods entering the United States, equivalent to the U.S. baseline tariff on all imports, despite U.S. goods entering Australia tariff free.