US 90% claim questioned – experts demand transparency

Donald Trump claims that countries like Vietnam impose 90% tariffs on American goods – but so far no method for calculating this has been presented. Without transparency, negotiations become almost impossible.

US accuses Vietnam of 90% tariff burden – but does not show how the figure was calculated

When US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on countries in Asia, he referred to very high figures. For example, Vietnam is said to be imposing a combined tariff burden of 90% on US goods, and the US is therefore planning to impose a 46% punitive duty as a countermeasure.

But there is growing questioning about how these figures were actually calculated. There is currently no public methodology report from the White House or the US Trade Representative. USTR which shows how the US has arrived at the exact percentages for each country.

What are the US figures based on?

Trump has said in his speech that the figures are based on a combination of tariffs, VAT, technical barriers to trade, currency effects and other forms of trade imbalances. However, exactly how these factors were weighed together to arrive at figures such as 90% or 72% is not specified.

This creates a major problem, especially for countries that want to engage in serious dialogue with the US. Without a clear and verifiable basis, it becomes difficult to discuss solutions. If you don't know what was taken into account or how it was weighed, how can you propose changes or compromises?

Risk of arbitrariness and political use

For many actors in Asia, the question therefore arises: are the figures based on an objective analysis – or are they politically produced as a negotiating weapon?

The US position is that these tariffs are fair, because they respond to unfair treatment. But if the US says a country “takes 90%” and therefore reimposes “46%” back, without being able to show exactly how they calculated it, it becomes impossible to verify, impossible to negotiate against – and effectively a tool for arbitrary punishment.

Is it actually the current account balance that is being referred to?

We at Thailand Info have themselves tried to understand the basis for these figures. What is often mentioned in the debate is that some countries have a large trade surplus with the US – for example, that Vietnam exports significantly more to the US than it imports. But it is important to understand that such a trade balance is something completely different from tariff rates.

The fact that the US imports 90% and exports only 10% is not proof that a country has 90% in tariffs. This makes it difficult to know whether the US calculations are really accurate. In the absence of transparency, the figures could just as easily be perceived as estimates – or, at worst, pure fabrications.

Vietnam and Laos are hit hard

One of the countries singled out with the highest figure is Vietnam, where the US says there is a tariff burden of 90%. This is now matched by a planned US tariff of 46%. This is despite the fact that Vietnam is one of the countries in the region that is still considered a developing economy in several contexts, with a high dependence on exports for its growth.

Laos is also at risk of being hit hard. With a proposed tariff burden of 95% and a proposed US response of 48%, Laos is one of the most vulnerable countries in the region – despite its modest export volume in absolute terms. The Lao government has not yet issued a public response, but economists in the region warn that the consequences could be particularly felt for smaller economies with low resilience.

Countries hardest hit

Below is how badly different Asian countries are affected, according to the US's own figures:

Artiklar report

For those who want to read more about the US tariff decision and how countries in Asia are reacting:

Asia reacts to new US tariffs – Thailand seeks dialogue

US imposes tariffs – affecting Thailand and Southeast Asia

Text: The editorial staff

Image license: The White House, Flickr, original image